LLAN
HIGHLIGHT
CHANGING THE SYSTEM, ONE CASE AT A TIME By: Carolyn Neuhausen ’04
AMELIA DIEDRICH ’05 knows better than most that justice in the legal system isn’t always served the way it should be. As Deputy District Attorney in the Gang Unit for Northern California’s San Mateo County, she’s seen some cases go sideways where they shouldn’t have. In these cases, Diedrich draws strength from the main focus of her work – providing support and advocating on behalf of victims and witnesses, no matter the outcome. “In an adversarial system, it’s easy to get caught up in the superficial, but to help these people, is a really important thing to keep in mind. Helping doesn’t always mean winning, but it can mean providing justice in other ways,” she says. Diedrich graduated from La Salle knowing she wanted to go to law school and work on behalf of the public. She’s been a deputy district attorney for nine years and looks back at the mission of La Salle as one of the principles that has guided her throughout her career. “Through an extracurricular program at La Salle, I began tutoring at under-privileged schools. Service to others was integrated in so many aspects of La Salle, not just service to check a box, but as a part of everyday life,” she reflects. The School’s core theme of service and compassion for others permeated the studies and work Diedrich has accomplished, eventually leading her to the work she does in the justice system. 40
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Aside from not being able to prosecute every case as she might wish, she recounts the challenges of working in good faith within a legal system that has also shown itself to be fraught with systemic and inherent injustices. “The other difficulty is the understandable backlash against law enforcement and people who are not familiar with the justice system who make assumptions about me and my colleagues. I really understand the frustration with racial discrimination and as a society, it’s a conversation that must continue. But I must also keep focused on the good we’re doing and the victims we’re helping,” she explains. Diedrich remains determined to advocate for what’s right within the system even when it might be uncomfortable or difficult. She trains with the gang intel unit and receives implicit and explicit bias training. “One of the biggest challenges is trying to change the problems from the inside, the institutionalized violence and racism and sexism that is a part of the system, but we are doing all we can to eliminate that, it’s the driving factor in what we do,” she explains. When she looks back on her time at La Salle, she mentions how much her English classes and teachers impacted her. Not only did she enjoy Ms. Annie Johnston, Mr. David Soltis ’90 and Ms. Jane Osick as teachers, she
