"We all have to work together because autism is 24 hours a day. The court combines the efforts of social workers, therapists, probation officers, defense attorneys and prosecutors to address psychiatric needs, behavioral modification, socialization, and parent training to get to the root causes of the kids coming into Judge Bailey's courtroom. The most common charges kids who come into DAAY Court face have to do with battery (usually at home or at school) or sex-related offenses (usually stemming from a lack of understanding of boundaries or proper behavior), according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Clarke. Krystal Ramirez for NPR Judge Sunny Bailey started a program aims to address the behaviors of at-risk juvenile offenders with autism in 2018.Īutism is a developmental disability that can cause challenges with social cues, communication and behavior, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Started by Judge Sunny Bailey in 2018, the Eighth Judicial District's diversion program aims to address the behaviors of at-risk juvenile offenders with autism and to prevent them from entering the revolving door of the criminal justice system as adults. It's based in Las Vegas and not far from Melody's home. That is until she heard about a specialty court program near her home called DAAY Court or the detention alternative for autistic youth treatment court. The program helps at-risk teen offenders with autism to stay out of the criminal justice system Or, they didn't accept their insurance, or they couldn't take her because of her neurological disorder. They couldn't house her with the younger kids because they were afraid that she would hurt them." A formal autism diagnosis from a psychologist came in 2020.īefore Angeleena's arrest in the winter of 2022, Melody tried several times to get her daughter into hospitals or other treatment facilities but she was always told "No" for a variety of reasons: "They couldn't house her with the older kids because they were afraid she'd become a victim. She also suffers from frontal lobe epilepsy where her seizures originate and that also contributes to her lack of impulsivity control. When she was born, Angeleena had microcephaly, and her brain was smaller than normal, Melody said. She is like Jekyll and Hyde when she flips," Melody said.Īngeleena has autism in addition to anxiety, bipolar disorder and intermittent explosive disorder, among other diagnoses that cause these, at times, violent outbursts, according to Melody. "The thing about Angeleena is when she has these episodes, she glazes over, she becomes a different person. There's also been an uptick in her violent behavior, including property destruction, threats to their pet dog, Daisy, and suicidal ideations. But now that she's my size, and she's older, she's extremely strong," Melody said. "I could just grab her and restrain her or throw her over my shoulder, carry her out of a store, stuff like that. Krystal Ramirez for NPR Melody O'Connor says as her daughter has gotten older, her violent episodes have been more difficult to manage.
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