Indiana State Supreme Court Justice Steven David spend Monday visiting LaGrange County to see how the local JDAI program is working. He spend about an hour Monday meeting with local attorneys talking about civility and ethics.
LAGRANGE — Indiana State Supreme Court Justice Steven David returned to LaGrange County Monday, a guest of JDAI program director Randy Merrifield.
David came to speak with local students in programs supported by the JDAI office and meet with local Amish businessmen.
David has been to LaGrange County three times in the last two years to learn more about LaGrange County’s JDAI program.
JDAI, short for Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, is a program designed to help teenagers avoiding incarceration in area juvenile facilities by reaching out to them before trouble happens. Justice David is a member of the state JDAI committee and an advocate of the program.
“It’s a very important program,” David said Monday. “We visited a high school, a middle school and an elementary school where they have a mentoring program. We visited with the high school seniors who are doing the mentoring and talked to some of the kids who are being mentored. We met with some high school administrators and talked about how important it is for the community to be involved. And I think the message I can take back to Indianapolis and our state JDAI steering committee is you have to get out into the community and see all the great work that’s being done, and the culture here in this county is nothing short of phenomenal. This community works together.”