Jacob struggled to manage his anger when he was younger. He often defied teachers and fought other students, which led to suspensions. In high school, Jacob began affiliating with a gang who stole cars and committed other crimes. His father had run with a gang too. Jacob’s involvement in this way of life led to arrests and eventually a sentence to serve time in a youth detention facility.

The future looked grim. Fortunately, Jacob’s probation officer referred him to Nathan, a specialist with Stanford Sierra Youth & Families’ Juvenile Justice Intervention Services (JJIS). But Jacob showed little interest in talking with Nathan during their first meeting, which was held in a small uncarpeted room. The metal chairs and table they sat at were welded together and not very comfortable. The silence between them was often punctuated by the buzz of security doors opening and slamming shut again. Jacob didn’t trust many adults, especially those in authority.

During their second meeting, Nathan shared a little about himself. He told Jacob about the neighborhood he’d grown up in. Jacob knew about it. It was a lot like his. Nathan also shared that he himself had spent time in a juvenile detention facility and that at one point his life looked a lot different than it did today.

Over the following months, Jacob opened to the idea of a better future. He talked with Nathan about his strengths and challenges. Jacob also shared his culture with Nathan.  He told him that it regarded two things above all else: taking care of one’s family and keeping one’s word. Jacob admitted that he had made countless promises to his mother—to stop getting into trouble, to stay away from gangs—only to break them repeatedly. This weighed on him.

Nathan also helped Jacob develop anger management and other coping skills. Together, they explored how Jacob could make better decisions and rebuild the relationships that mattered most to him. As his release date approached, Jacob asked for more meetings with Nathan. As they developed a plan to explore job opportunities and re-connect with his family, Jacob began to see a path forward.

Today, Jacob lives with his mother and works full-time. He satisfies his court-ordered requirements and meets with Nathan every week. As his journey continues, he looks for opportunities to take responsibility, to demonstrate to himself and those he cares about that change is possible.

*Names have been changed to protect confidentiality.​