Donna S. Belin, who’s been an advocate for youthful crime victims and youthful offenders in east King County for 30 years, has announced that she’ll retire as director of the Young Adult Court Mentor Program and Project Smart Turn on Dec. 31.

She will continue to serve as executive director of King County Kids’ Court and King County Teen Court for the office of the King County Prosecuting Attorney.

Belin was honored by the City of Redmond at the Dec. 2 City Council meeting. Redmond Police Chief Steve Harris thanked her for her work, saving lives and soothing the hurts of children, teens and families impacted by sexual abuse, violence and other trauma.

Virginia Day expressed her gratitude as a member of the Changes Parent Support Network, a group for parents of at-risk teens and young adults, which meets at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center and elsewhere on the Eastside.

“I’ve known Donna since 2001 when my young son had a run-in with the Redmond Police,” Day commented. She called Belin “an angel to a broken-hearted parent” and said Belin “went above and beyond, countless times for my family and others,” listening to problems and offering resources.

In a follow-up interview with the Redmond Reporter, Belin said she’s worked with crime victims as young as four or five years old and offenders as young as six years old.

These children and teens have been involved in some form of bullying, violence, sexual assault or other inappropriate behavior — and the emotional scars can lead to much more trouble down the road, if they are not given the counseling and support they need.

In the case of young offenders, “Many times it has to do with mental health issues, or diagnoses such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Oppositional Defiant Disorder or autism,” said Belin. “They are not bad kids but don’t have the necessary boundaries to get along or know what appropriate behavior is. It’s very sad and we need to nail the perfect referral. Often, these kids don’t feel smart, it’s hard to focus and they strike out because their self-esteem is so low.”

She elaborated on some of the services she has provided or facilitated for children and teens.

“In our Kids’ Court program, we introduce young kids to the court system in a fun way,” she noted.

These include kids who may have to take the witness stand, a stressful prospect even for adults.

“We play games, talk about the roles of the people in the court room, where to sit and how to behave, how to ask how to go to the bathroom, everything they need to know. Kids come in very nervous and come out confident as a witness,” said Belin.

In the Young Adult Court Mentor Program, young repeat misdemeanor offenders have been paired one-on-one with community members who served as role models and assisted with life skills and asset building.

“This could be everything from teaching them about money management, getting around on the bus, complying with court orders and strengthening their integrity,” said Belin. “The Search Institute has a list of 40 healthy developmental assessments and this is very intertwined with what we do.”

The Young Adult Court Mentor Program became one of the most successful and cost-efficient projects in the state, in many cases serving as a viable option to incarceration. The program was forced to close its doors last year because of severe reductions in King County funding.

Project Smart Turn, an offshoot of the Court Mentor Program, is an award-winning program that offers comprehensive resources such as assessments for students who’ve been suspended or expelled because they used alcohol or drugs, brought weapons to school, or were involved in bullying, fighting or starting fires. The program is currently funded by the cities of Redmond, Kirkland and Sammamish and receives a minimal amount from King County.

“We have made a major effort to prevent another Columbine,” Belin emphasized.

“We’ve made a concerted effort to not just expel students but make sure they get assessments to see if they could have issues to hurt themselves or someone else. … Do we allow them back in the schools? Or do we seriously assess them and look for the underlying issues?”

Since the Columbine High School tragedy of 1999, educators, school administrators and law enforcement professionals have become increasingly aware of the need to look for red flags in student behaviors — and rightfully so, said Belin. She commended Dr. Cindy Lundvall, head of Student Services for the Lake Washington School District, as being a staunch supporter of programs to identify and assist troubled kids.

“When the funding stops, things like this (Project Smart Turn) stop,” Belin worried aloud. “We have to make this a priority and a mandate.”

Although a successor has not officially been announced, Belin has been talking with a Redmond Police officer and another specialist in the juvenile court system about possibly carrying on her work with Project Smart Turn. She is very hopeful that it will continue in some way.

Belin’s looking forward to her partial retirement, as it will allow her more time to spend with her daughters — one of whom is a teacher at Redmond High School — and her granddaughter. Belin also plans to resume a Ph.D. program in clinical psychology, specializing in forensics.