Crystal Washington ('24)

During her time at Boyd Law, Crystal Washington ('24) experienced two externships, which she says "reinforced my passion while exposing me to disheartening truth." When Crystal entered law school, she felt led down the path to family court, and both of her externships taught her so much about her chosen direction. In the fall of 2022, she externed for Judge David S. Gibson, Jr., while she worked at the Clark County Public Defender's Office's Juvenile Division in the spring of 2024. 

"With my externship experience, I have now seen it from the judge's side of the bench, as well as the attorney's and advocate's." While externing for Judge Gibson, Jr. during his last stint of presiding over juvenile delinquency matters, she noticed that Judge Gibson made sure he focused on getting the child services through diversion resources rather than defaulting to juvenile correction. During this externship, Crystal looked at the number of kids that were referred to The Harbor and analyzed the recidivism rate. The Harbor is a diversion program to help parents whose children show signs of heading down the path of delinquency and the result of an inter-local agreement between multiple authorities.

Of her most recent externship at the Clark County Public Defender's Office (Juvenile Division), she remarks, "I, unfortunately, learned the trouble that our youths face today—sadly, the egregiousness and seriousness of their delinquent acts are on the rise." She points to the system being broken in a lot of ways: youths signing plea agreements without fully understanding the ramifications, an uneven ratio of six probation officers monitoring over one hundred kids, and understaffing of the DA's office and detention officers. "With more people, we can make a bigger impact and help these youth get rehabilitated."

Crystal states that her externships helped her learn more about what she thought she wanted to do and that her experiences certainly solidified her life's work. "This year, I was able to do a more hands-on role with the youth. This externship allowed me to understand the difference I could make as a Black woman in the legal field advocating for children in front of the judge." Of her plans after her recent graduation, Crystal says, "There is so much work to do in the juvenile justice system; I am ready to roll up my sleeves to get it done."