By: Shannon Bachar<\/p>\n
In juvenile courts, the goal is not to punish the juveniles, but rather to aid them in the direction to lead a better and crime-free life. Retired Judge Chris L. Fredericksen did just that as he took on cases involving adoptions, abuse and drugs with the hope to put young people back on track. The court also worked with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to assist the children.<\/p>\n
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Retired Judge Chris L. Fredericksen shares experience:<\/strong><\/p>\n Retired Judge Chris L. Fredericksen didn\u2019t plan to become a lawyer.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to be a civil engineer, but during my freshman year, my math counselor said I wasn\u2019t going to make it,\u201d he said. \u201cSo he said to do something else.\u201d<\/p>\n He did, and his career lead to become a strong advocate for area youth. He was accepted at four law schools and ultimately chose Valparaiso University Law School, as the others were in his hometown Chicago and he said he didn\u2019t want to go to a big city.<\/p>\n Fredericksen was in the Peoria County State\u2019s Attorney\u2019s Office for 22 years, from 1976 to 1998.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the first time [he considered becoming a judge] was 1994 and there were three retirements in a row and I figured maybe I\u2019ll have a shot to become a judge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n According to Fredericksen, he took a different route on his journey to become an associate judge as applicants typically met with the circuit judges. Because he had been in the courthouse for a long time, he had created a better network.<\/p>\n \u201cI worked in this courthouse for 22 years already and I figured most of them already knew me,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they didn\u2019t believe I was competent, I would have found out one way or the other if they selected me. I didn\u2019t get [the position] the first go around,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Fredericksen was initially assigned to family relations court, also known as divorce court, which was a new area of law for him.<\/p>\n \u201cThey just kind of throw you in there, and it\u2019s sink or swim,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He moved from family relations court to juvenile court and in later years volunteered to remain in juvenile court, as he enjoyed the docket and helping the young people.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery juvenile case that I was involved with was very challenging because you\u2019re dealing with children, trying to get them permanence, trying to get them to adhere to the norms of society and not commit any additional criminal offenses,\u201d he said. \u201cThose cases were all very important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n He remembers one case with the Grys family in Tazewell County, of a little boy suffering from brittle bone disease who was about to be adopted at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was only about 3 and a half feet tall, and he was such a cute little guy and so happy, and later just by happenstance, his family received a house through an ABC show, \u201cExtreme Makeover Home Edition\u201d in Pekin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n When Fredericksen was on the case, he let the young boy wear his judicial robe after he was adopted.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re a judge, you don\u2019t really get a lot of fun things to do,\u201d he said. \u201cAdoptions were always the best.\u201d<\/p>\n