When she was younger, Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio had always thought that she would become a lawyer or maybe even a teacher. In fact, Judge Teodosio received her undergraduate degree in education because she longed to work with children. She says that she never really envisioned herself as a judge. Today, Linda Teodosio is Summit County's Juvenile Court Judge. Fulfilling her desire to work with young people, Teodosio enjoys the opportunity she gets each day to implement changes into the lives of today's troubled youth. "It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done and the hardest I've ever worked in my whole life. It's definitely worth it," she says.

Born in Canton, OH, Judge Teodosio became an Akronite when she started her schooling at the University of Akron in 1976. She graduated summa cum laude in 1980 with a Bachelor's degree in Education, beginning her law education shortly after. In 1982, Teodosio received her Juris Doctor from Akron U's School of Law.

Her paternal grandparents immigrated to America from Pescara (Abruzzi region) in the early 1900s. Her grandfather came here first and found a job with the Timkin Company. He then sent for her grandmother, who came from Italy with her aunt shortly after. Teodosio's husband, Tom, has his family roots planted in Calabria.

Judge Teodosio has never been to Italy, but she is planning a trip there this summer with her husband and son, Chris, to meet with their daughter Andrea, a junior (soon to be a senior) in high school, who is studying in Italy. She says that during their first trip to Italy (it's her husband's first trip there too) they will visit Milan, Rome and Sorrento. Sorrento may hold a special place in Judge Teodosio's heart. She has her grandmother's trunk that she used when she came to the United States from Italy. The trunk is painted with her grandmother's initials and is complete with shipping stickers from Napoli, where her grandmother caught the ship and Boston, where her long journey ended.

In a telephone interview with Judge Teodosio, I asked her what she thought had changed among today's youth, compared to the youth of ten to twenty years ago. Her answer was simple and made complete sense. Young people today have a lack of respect for authority. Yesterday's youth's upbringing is different from what we see today. For example, in the past children knew that when they did some thing wrong at school, the punishment would be worse at home than the discipline they would receive at school. Today, fewer parents are holding their children accountable for their actions.

Another change in our youth compared to ten or twenty years ago is drugs. Drugs are one of the biggest problems facing young people today. According to Judge Teodosio, alcohol and marijuana are at the top of the list. They are altering children's lives and the way they live. Also, while there seems to be a decrease in juvenile crime, the severity of the crimes that are committed is increasing, including a larger use of firearms.

Knowing that young, easily influenced teenagers need help as well as discipline, Judge Teodosio imposed the ideas of alternative sentencing and enhanced programming on the people of Summit County. The idea behind the Crossroads Program, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, is that if we can reach out to those who are struggling with mental illness and/or substance abuse early on, the level of success in helping those individuals increases. This was what Judge Teodosio's primary goal was when she took her seat on the bench, and so far it seems as though it's working.

The Special Community Service Project gives young offenders the opportunity to help others in need. For each day of community service (eight hours), a participant earns $40. In turn, they take the $40 and buy food for the Good Samaritan Food Bank, diapers for St. Joseph's parenting center, gifts for underprivileged kids or school supplies to give to the needy. In essence, it's children helping other children, which has proven to have a positive effect on both sides.

Both children and parents are responding well to these alternative sentencing concepts, as well as the food bank and other involved agencies. Judge Teodosio explains that everyone mainly focuses on getting food to the needy around the holidays. So just when the food bank begins to run low on food, the Community Service stocks their shelves.

These concepts do not only help those in need, but they help the youth who are ordered to take part. Once the program is complete, participants receive grad certificates during special graduation ceremonies, their records are expunged, grade point averages increase and they gain the motivation that is necessary to move forward on the right path to doing the right things. Programs like the Special Community Service Project literally save the lives of these children who have lost direction. Not all offenses receive alternative sentencing, though. Some offenders are sent to juvenile detention, depending on the seriousness of the offense, the offender's past record, if a firearm was used during the offense, et cetera.

When I asked Judge Teodosio what she would say to Ohio's youth if she could say one thing, her response was, "The biggest thing is that our youth needs to realize that there are consequences for their actions… I would say to listen to that nagging voice that's telling you 'I shouldn't be doing this'… Think before you act."

Summit County is lucky to have such a strong and caring juvenile court judge to help and guide our troubled youth.