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Juvenile Justice Center Works To Help At-Risk Youth Before Court

Posted at 10:50 PM, Jan 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-21 23:56:07-05

Eduardo Trejo's family members knew he needed help, they just weren't sure where to turn.

"We had been struggling with his problems," said Trejo's uncle, Alex Mendoza, just hours after learning his nephew had been shot and killed. "Drugs, getting out of the house without permission, getting into trouble."

On Saturday, 16-year-old Trejo and 15-year-old Jonathan Martinez were killed at a home on Piccadilly Row in Antioch. Anthony Sinor Jr. and Mitchell Mann - both 16-years-old - told police they lured the teens there.

Sinor said he suspected Trejo had recently burglarized his home.

"We would ask him, 'What's going on with your life, why are you going through this, how can we help you,'" Mendoza said. "He would just keep it to himself."

Nashville's Juvenile Justice Center recently restructured its court system to help families in the same situation as Trejo. Now, Davidson County families can ask for help before a child is brought into the court system because they're in trouble.

"The biggest hurdle is for people to get through the door and to understand it's not going to be used against them or make their lives difficult in any way, that we're here to help," said Kathryn Sinback, a Juvenile Court Administrator.

To participate, all a family must do is come to the Juvenile Justice Center and ask the information desk for help. From there, a team of family assessment specialists will meet with each member of the family to determine the underlying cause of the problems.

"It may be that they're a single family home, it may be transportation, it may be that they need immigration services, or they may need counseling," said Atica Helms, who oversees the court's family assessment team. "It is our job to be fact-finders."

From there, Helms and her team will connect families with the resources they need - free of charge.

No information shared with the court may be shared with police, immigration officers, or subpoenaed. A 2016 statute has ensured that everything shared is completely confidential.

It's a resource Sinback hopes families will take advantage of before situations escalate to violence.

For Trejo's family, they hope others will recognize they need help, and ask for it, before it's too late.

"Don't underestimate your kids. Eduardo was a good kid at home, but probably not so much on the streets," Mendoza said. "It's not the first time, and it's not going to be the last."