In Search of Juvenile Justice

[deadparrot]

Sister Janet Harris swore she would never do it again.

Three decades ago, her dogged gumshoe work helped win a retrial and an acquittal for a young gangbanger convicted of attempted murder during a supermarket heist. Harris' efforts took almost two years and left her emotionally drained.

But when Harris learned the details of the case of Mario Rocha, a 16-year-old Highland Park youth convicted of murder and attempted murder, she couldn't help but launch into amateur detective mode once again.

"Well, God has boxed me in," Harris remembered thinking. "He said that even if I fail, I have no choice."

For nine years, the dedication, zeal and self-acknowledged pestering of the 75-year-old Roman Catholic nun have spurred a campaign to free Rocha. The case has galvanized members of California's Catholic community, prompted filmmakers to make a documentary on juvenile justice, and attracted the pro bono commitment of the high-powered law firm Latham and Watkins.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/latimests/20051026/ts_latimes/insearchofjuvenilejustice