Access to Juvenile Records Steals Many Dreams .
ina Lexine Sarver , a 22-year-old wife and mother of two small children , longs For the day when she will be allowed to do something most moms taRe For granted : chaperone a school field trip . Her juvenile record has already Forced her to give up her dream of becoming a nurse .
RESIDENTIAL STAY LEADS TO COMMITMENT TO CHANGE
Residential Stay Leads to Commitment to Change Problems began in her early teens , around the time when her parents divorced . She and her siblings moved From a home in the suburbs into Section 8 housing . With her added responsibilities , she became angry , defiant and soon fell in with the wrong crowd . By age 15 , she was pregnant . She also was arrested for grand theft auto . She spent six months at a residential commitment program for juvenile offenders ; it was the waRe-up call that she needed .
" On my release date , I made a promise to God , my mother and to my unborn child that I would never resort back to the person I once was , , , recalled Sarver . By age 19 , despite the challenges of working full-time and being a teenage mom , she was well on her way to keeping that promise . She had obtained her GED , got married and bought her first house .
Juvenile Records Steals Dreams Ina Lexine Sarver Sen . Darren Soto Orlando , Jacksonville , Florida September 2019
HAUNTED BY A JUVENILE RECORD Although she was initially accepted into Indian River State College ' s nursing program , she was forced to give up her seat when her juvenile record became known . After sending out over 200 emails " asking everyone and anyone for help , , , she had to switch majors several times before settling for majoring in Healthcare Management . She graduated in December 2014 , but not without experiencing more difficulties . " A background check was required prior to me taking my final internship course ," she explained. " Without the help of two public defenders , who advocated on my behalf and convinced the dean of my department to allow me to take that course , I would ' ve been prevented from graduating with my baccalaureate degree ."