12/03/04 Letter Feeney to Schemb

Schembri: Accountability; impact of Zero Tolerance; treatment of children

December 3, 2004

Attn: Mr. Anthony Schembri DJJ Secretary
CC: Rod Love; Marquita McGuire; Cathy Corry; Pinellas JJC Executive Committee

Mr. Secretary,

I wanted to say that I enjoyed meeting you at the Circuit Board Chair's meeting yesterday afternoon - I relate to your Brooklyn sense of humor. My name is John Feeney and I am the parliamentarian of the Pinellas Juvenile Justice Council within Circuit 6. I am also an ordained member of the clergy and a part time law student - you may remember me as the young fellow with long hair who laughed the loudest at your jokes. I was later introduced to you by Circuit 6 Partnership Coordinator Cathy Corry.

It is my sincere hope that your concerns as expressed, re accountability within the Department, a narrower application of the zero tolerance policy, a more humane environment for the children and youth detained in our juvenile facilities, restorative justice & rehabilitation, more common sense in policies relating to judicial process etc. are, with all due respect, not mere "lip service" but will translate into concrete departmental policy and legislative recommendations. I have done you the courtesy of copying you on the minutes of our first meeting of a Pinellas council "special committee" on Zero Tolerance which I prepared on the committee's behalf - given your expressed concerns re this policy, the content my interest you. This is under a separate email and my apologies that it is "second generation" and therefore not as "clean" a text as the original Word document.

I also felt the need to comment re Mr. McClintock's representation of the situation re Circuit 6 - frankly, he seems misinformed about what is happening in his own circuit. He's the former chair of the Pasco County Council and his description of the situation vis a vis his own Council may be accurate, but we on the Pinellas County Council (also in Circuit 6) have a number of motivated, passionate citizen-advocates coming directly from the community, who are wanting to see changes in the Juvenile Justice system. I fully agreed with your remarks about how "DECISIONS GET MADE BY THOSE WHO SHOW UP!" This has long been one of my own favorite and oft-used expressions and I assure you that in Pinellas County we have a number of people who have "shown up." I am one of them - so is Cathy Corry who I consider my "mentor" in terms of understanding this system and how to work to improve it. There are several others and we are ready to go to work. Good to have met you.

Warmest regards,

Rev. John Feeney

Parliamentarian, Pinellas County Juvenile Justice Council

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