"There is every opportunity provided to turn their lives around, if youths decide to do so!” says Judge Lorna Brumfield, and that is what she strives for. Appointed to the role of Judge for the Superior Court of Kern County in 2009, she finds her passion in creating opportunities for young people to receive all the care and attention a maturing person needs, in order to embrace a lifestyle which has potential for redemption and success. “Not a cookie cutter,” Mrs. Brumfield described the process of reviewing a case which often involves conversations with the parents, school teachers, and the juvenile alone. The delicacy and complexity of Judge Lorna’s job was immediately recognized by the Rotarians present today.

If a young man or woman, who for a variety of reasons finds themselves in the court system, the decision influencing the disposition (sentence in adult case) is aimed to the rehabilitation of the offender and safety of the public. Different programs and assessment tools deployed in the last few years have dramatically reduced the number of juvenile cases and spearheaded a variety of programs aimed to support a psychological, emotional, and spiritual life re-direction. Law enforcement agencies have been adopting tools to better discern if a petition should or not be presented to a judge. Additionally, counselors, teachers, and volunteers provide professional assistance and mentoring to those children who are placed in a facility: the objective is to change lives and terminate, in same cases, generational tendencies of troubles with the law.

Judge Lorna Brumfield concluded her presentation with an invitation to women who would be interested in participating in the program called “Pathways” and speaking to young women about opportunities and steps to achieve a career in the workforce.

Thank you Judge Lorna Brumfield for your presentation and, above all, thank you for your service to the community of Bakersfield.