Should we have compassion for murderers, gangbangers and other offenders who commit crimes as children?
A resounding “yes” is Dr. Wendy Smith’s response to this challenging question. She’s spent her professional career advocating for those incarcerated for crimes they committed as juveniles.
She has studied brain development and she knows that the brains of children and teens are not the same as adult brains. She knows that trauma can derail children.
She’s the expert source you’ll want to interview when addressing questions such as:
- How is it that a very young person can commit a terrible crime?
- What does it mean for a child to crash through boundaries that we usually think of as uncrossable?
- How can traumatic experiences change our ideas about ourselves and the world?
Wendy Smith, Ph.D., LCSW, is a retired clinical professor of social work and associate dean of curriculum development and assessment at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
She taught courses on child and adolescent development and social work practice with children, families, and transition age youth. She is a licensed clinical social worker who maintained a private practice in psychotherapy in Los Angeles for 35 years. Wendy specialized in the treatment of individuals, couples, and survivors of childhood maltreatment.
Dr. Smith has a history of community volunteer work related to children and families, especially those affected by adversity early in life. She served for eight years on the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families, including as Chair. Wendy chairs the board of directors of the National Foster Youth Institute, and is a member of the Foundation Board of the Venice Family Clinic, where she chaired the Committee on Behavioral Health and Child Development for nine years. She is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Children’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, and an advocate for individuals incarcerated for crimes committed as juveniles. Dr. Smith has previously served on the boards of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition and United Friends of the Children. She has received numerous awards for her community work.
