Read Our Employee Interview
Juvenile Justice Spotlight
AnnMarie Latzo
Detention Specialist
Agency: Administrative Offices of the Illinois Courts
Office Location: Springfield, Illinois
1. What led you into the Juvenile Justice field?
“I never thought I’d work with kids. I had my first taste of it out of college. I believe you’re innocent until proven guilty and that most kids are a victim of their environment. I was a youth development specialist at the Peoria County JDC, before moving up to supervisor and compliance officer.”
2. What is your motivation for staying in this field?
“It takes a village to raise our youth and to train our employees. We sometimes forget that support must come from all different levels. I found a passion for developing and supporting staff and administrators that work with youth.”
3. What part of your job energizes you?
“Hands-on experience in working directly with kids and people in the field. I love providing the necessary energy to help others.”
4. What topic would you love to get more training on to help you in your job or with higher career aspirations?
“I’m a numbers person and data-driven, and always love to learn about trends and data involving trauma informed care, caring for LGBTQ Youth, and managing behaviors in short term care. The more evidenced-based the better.”
5. What is your personal philosophy as it relates to juvenile justice?
“There’s no such thing as a bad kid. We work with kids in the system that often struggle with their behaviors and we struggle sometimes relaying that they’re not bad but their behaviors could improve.”
6. Who is your mentor(s) in the field? What is something that they taught you?
“There are two that stick out to me. One is Keisha Isaacs. The other is Brian Brown. Both are different but they’ve allowed me to learn so much. Brian taught me that there’s doing something the right way and there’s doing the right thing. Keisha has taught me how to pour into others, giving them my all…whether it’s the kids I’m serving or the people I work with.”
7. If you could give advice to someone starting out in the field, what would it be?
“You can’t save people; you can only love them and give them the tools to succeed. You can’t take credit for anybody else’s success or failure.”
8. What has been one of the most positively impactful experiences for you since you began working in the field?
“We’re always taught with kids that they’re more than what we see…there’s always something more underneath. I have found that this is also true with the staff and administrators that work with our youth. I just can’t name one, because there are so many different stories and experiences out there.”
9. If you could share a valuable life lesson with youth to help them avoid becoming involved in the juvenile justice system, what would it be?
“I often share with youth that other people judge you based on your behavior, but you judge yourself on your intentions. Most youth today struggle with developing basic social skills and emotional intelligence, and look to their community to build them in these areas.”
10. What do you enjoy doing when you're not at work?
“I love to travel, enjoy spending time outside, and like spending time with my family. Self-care is so important!”