The George C. Young American Inn of Court honored Irene Bustamante, Coordinator, Juvenile Court Services with the 2015 Arnie Wilkerson Memorial Court Service Award. The award honors individuals working in the judicial system who display the highest standards of character, integrity, and ongoing dedication to the judicial system. Past recipients have been long-term models of excellence in their work within the judicial system and have also been extremely active in some dimension of community service outside of the judicial system.
Irene was instrumental in establishing and supporting the Circuit’s first community-based Truancy Court. The program concentrated on middle and high schools that had the highest truancy rates in Orange County and was one of the first Truancy Courts of its kind in the United States. The Ninth Circuit’s community based Truancy Court was a critical strategic program in combating truancy in the areas where truancy was most prevalent. Irene Bustamante’s hard work, commitment, and dedication to the program was crucial to the success of Truancy Court.
In addition to Irene’s valuable support of Truancy Court, she is also an essential member of the Court Administration management team. In that capacity, Irene serves on the senior management team responsible for managing the Juvenile Services Division of Court Administration, which includes, along with Truancy Court, Neighborhood Restorative Justice, Sanctions, and Teen Court.