Providing youth with knowledge about the legal system, safety,
and character education for safer school and community environments in Maricopa County
PAMELA NEAL, a native of Phoenix, Arizona and a product of the Roosevelt School District, owns and operates Safe Schools Focus On Excellence Youth Program. She founded this organization to help deter criminal activity and prevent crime amongst youth by creating safer school and community environments and structured youth programs centered around law-related education, character development and training. She is a former Juvenile Probation Officer for Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department where she served for 20 years until she retired in 2010. Eight of the 20 years as a Juvenile Probation Officer were spent in partnership with Cesar E. Chavez Community School as a School Probation Officer.
Mrs. Neal started the Teen Court program in January 2000 while working as a Probation Officer. In 2006, her program earned the Mayor's Partnership Award for achievement in the Roosevelt School District, Cesar Chavez Community School and Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department. Under the direction of Mrs. Neal, the Teen Court program is now the longest running program in Roosevelt School District, with hundreds of students currently participating.
Open to all teens regardless of race or behavior, the Teen Court program has become a global, professional diversion program where youth are trained to serve as judges, attorneys, and jurors to hear real juvenile court cases, provide restorative justice consequences to their peers and divert those cases out of the formal court process.
Mrs. Neal has partnered with several organizations, including Roosevelt School District, City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education, State Bar of Arizona, Arizona State University School of Law, and the Arizona Black Law Enforcement (ABLE). She assists with ABLE's yearly conference planning and serves as a scholarship reviewer for their annual awards. She is an active member of the Arizona State Teen Court Association which holds an Annual Youth Summit for teens from around the State of Arizona. In the past she has served on the Board for the City of Phoenix Workforce Connection Youth Program and the National Forum of Black Public Administrators (NFBPA).
Since 1990, Mrs. Neal’s professional career has been spent implementing, coordinating and connecting youth and families with programs and services that will help them resolve conflict creatively, promote cultural awareness, and teach the value of diversity through law-related education and development. She holds a Certificate in Legal Assisting from Phoenix College, a Master’s Degree in Educational Counseling from Ottawa University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Arizona State University and an Associates Degree in Journalism from South Mountain Community College. Married in 1992, Mrs. Neal is motivated by her union with her husband Daryl, her faith, and family. She believes that she can make a “Maximum Impact” in this world for the youth and families she is dedicated to serving.
On November 12, 2019, Mrs. Neal graduated from a 10-week course with the African American Leadership Institute. See the photos of Mrs. Neal (holding award) with Teniqua Broughton, Executive Director (on her left) for the State of Black Arizona and her Board of Directors.
Mrs. Pam Neal, Founder of Safe Schools Focus on Excellence/ Teen Court
Our programs introduce youth of all ages to the law and court system. Our programs also promote awareness of rights and responsibilities. The goal is to deter criminal activity and prevent crime amongst youth by creating safer school and community environments.
Through community partnerships, we provide educators with strategies for instilling character education, school safety, and law-abiding behavior. Designed for administrators and teachers of elementary and secondary students, this curriculum has school-wide and city/county-wide impact.
Our Law Summer Camp/ Youth Summit prepares teens for college and provides them with leadership experiences and opportunities to serve within their schools and communities. Our Law Summer Camp also introduces them to careers in law and law enforcement.
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