juvenile justice, it s that there s never a playbook when parents and kids face off in court. you can sentence someone to death. you can sentence someone for life imprisonment. but to try to figure out how to put a family back together in about 30 minutes after you read the report of a certain pattern of behavior that has probably gone on for years is a very tricky thing to do, very important thing to do, and wow, the impact we can have if we get it right. kymyada is charged with running away, and although she s told the judge her side of the story, her mother has yet to establish why she turned her daughter over to the police. she chose to go and be with her god mother. okay. so she didn t leave the house without your permission, did she? no, she didn t. because i gave her an option. i said you abide by the rules, or you can go. at some time you called the police and reported her as a runaway. she didn t call, she didn t check in.
there s condoms and birth control. i think kymyada in her youth is a very selfish person. i think we re seeing that and hearing that today. what i haven t heard is i miss my baby, i want to go home. i think kymyada is going to keep doing what she wants to do. i think she s too young to understand what s in her best interest and the court needs to step in to assist her. kymyada says she wants to go home. she says she ll do better. i agree we have all heard that. before. i want the court to consider the available options the court has given the fact we re dealing with two children, not just one. it seems unlikely that kymyada s side of the story has convinced the judge to drop the charge. her attorney is hoping the judge will at least consider a ruling that allows kymyada to go home
i m working on it. we re going to see what we re going. i love you. mom! unlike her mother, kymyada s stepfather believes that placement outside the home may not be in kymyada s best interest. the fosters have been taking care of their granddaughter while kymyada s been locked up. but attorney don ruck knows some tough decisions need to be made. there s two options really. as of 4:00 today kymyada is going to go to a home, where obviously there s a lot of structure like you were talking about. or she could go home, be released to you guys today, with the list of interventions and services that the court said. we re still at odds. on that view. they re talking about it now. and i know deep inside with my dad s help that i ll be going home and be placed on house arrest. as her mother, what s best for her? best for her? yeah. as kymyada s parents struggle with their decision, jamie pays kevin a second visit since yesterday s incident. this time she brings good news.
kevin is going to placement finally after being with me for quite some time now. 99 days. he s quite happy about it. i hope it s a positive experience and we won t be hearing of kevin anymore. it s a real good placement. it s a campus. i ll be going to school all year round. i m probably going to be there for nine months to a year and basically the goal there is to get us on the right path. i thought it was going to be forever. feels like forever. yeah, i m sure it does, but it s a temporary hurdle. you can get over it. you can make it through it. i talked to one of the guys. his name was gary. he told me that as long as i stay on the right track and get my grades up and all that i will be going home. hi, kymyada.
yes, i know i was wrong. i would love to go home and start over again. because i know i can succeed. that s all i just wanted to add. i just want kymyada to understand my concern is always for the baby. she s a helpless individual. if you re acting out of her concern, first and foremost, that s the only thing i want to see happen. so if even my comments make you do that, then i ve accomplished what i want. mr. ruck, anything else? judge, i think kymyada has done what we hope happens when somebody is not released home to their parents. and that s that they think not just about what they did, but what the people in this courtroom told her. the structure is in place at home. kymyada is ready to take responsibility for herself and her child. and the court should reconsider at this point releasing her to her mother today. i think for her and for a lot of kids her age it s growing pains. we have to figure out how to help her get through that. today what the court will do is