Her Story
About Zlatina
I work at the courthouse right now, and what I deal with is helping people get out of jail and making sure that they don't go back into jail. Anything that I can do to prevent them from going back in, like providing rides to the courthouse through Diversion Hub, giving them court reminders for important or any court dates, making sure that they stay compliant with probation, and just things of that nature. I am in court almost every single day. I will pop into probation compliance courtroom, so anytime there is a hearing on a revocation or acceleration, that means that somebody is not doing well on probation, so I will pop in to see how big the docket is, see how many people need my help, and then the attorneys will connect them with me. We will sit down, we'll make a plan on what they need to do, stop by Diversion Hub, let's connect them to services, let's connect them to all of those things that they're missing for probation, to make sure that they don't need to come back anymore. Part of my team is at the Oklahoma County Jail, part of them is at the courthouse, so I also spend some time at the Oklahoma County Jail, where I would go and meet with some of the individuals who are in there, and just answer questions for them if I can, offer some support for them. All they want is to see them and hear them, and to be like, hey, I got you, it's okay, and try to come up with a plan. I advocate for people in court, even though I don't directly represent them, and I truly believe this is where I was meant to be.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Zlatina
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Honestly, it's not easy work, it's hard work, but it's worth it, because once you see even one person's life change due to the impact you have on them, it makes it all worth it. So, stay consistent, don't give up, because even the smallest things can cause big ripple effects in positive ways in people's lives later down the road.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenges are dealing within the realm of the system, where a lot of the time it's not necessarily fair, there's not a lot of gray area, it's all either black and white, which unfortunately is where our clients get caught up. We have to overcome a lot to make sure that their story gets heard, to make sure that the circumstances are understood by both parties, and to make sure that they're given a fair chance. They're fighting for their lives, for themselves. One of the best things is also that we have a chance to advocate for them, to support them, to give them that voice, and to help them get their voice back. We make sure they're confident enough to stand up for themselves in a very productive way, where they can tell their stories and still feel like they have power within themselves, because a lot of the time, people feel like their power's been taken away once they've been introduced into the system.
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