05/08/07
Juvenile Justice
Board and Council fray
05/31/04
I am a father...dealing with
DJJ
05/11/04 JJC operating outside the law
04/19/04 Subject: Abuse at juvenile justice facilities
03/29/04 The monstrous mess is no longer a dirty little secret
02/21/01 The issue of truth is still out there
02/05/04 Letter to Gov. Bush: Definition of "Excellence"
02/02/04 Jeb, it's time for Bill to go!
12/29/03 Juvenile Justice needs accountability
12/15/03 JDC again tried to get rid of me
12/05/03 Homework for Select Committee Members
11/14/03 Gov. Bush: DJJ victims fear retaliation
08/01/03 A culture of abuse
07/25/03 Are you up for this challenge, Mr. Bankhead?
12/10/02 Shaking the tree for social change
09/30/02 We shouldn't be playing switcheroo on these children
05/08/07
Juvenile Justice Board and Council fray
[Refer to these articles in the St. Petersburg Times:
04/30/07 Strife
erodes a voice for kids and
05/01/07 State refuses to step into juvenile justice fray]
As a volunteer advocate representing JUSTICE4KIDS.ORG, I am also a current member and officer of the Pinellas County Juvenile Justice Council. www.PinellasJJC.org
For added clarity of the dynamics between the Pinellas Council and the Circuit 6 Juvenile Justice Board, it is significant to note that not all previous Pinellas appointees were booted from the board. Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coats was re-elected to the Board by the Pinellas Council.
Also, the Pinellas Council was diverse in its new appointments. In addition to Norm Roche, Chimurenga Waller, and Rev. Bruce Wright, the Council appointed parent advocate Greg Pound, as well as Susan Biszewski-Eber, director of a YMCA middle school intervention program which receives grant funding from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
The statewide boards and councils were created to present a balanced voice of the community to DJJ. That community includes parents, youth and advocates, not just government workers and private providers whose jobs depend on the perpetual flow of troubled youth into ‘the system’.
The Board should welcome diversity and should realize that it isn’t in the best interest of our children to have all Board members chant ‘RAH RAH DJJ!’ The Board’s purpose is to provide advice and direction to DJJ. Most times, good advice comes from honest discussion about serious issues. I’ve attended every Board meeting for three years and never once heard a serious discussion about any issue other than money. I challenge the Board to embrace the new members in a manner that represents true democracy.
Cathy Corry
05/31/04 I'm a father...dealing with DJJ
I find this site very helpful for parents. I also find this site to be VERY negative at times. I'm a father of two and currently dealing with DJJ. All I see is mostly negative posts about different programs/jdc what about the positive things they do? What about recidivism rates isn't that what it all boils down to to rehabilitate these children to go back into the community? What about being responsible for your behavior. What is the state supposed to do look the other way when these kids break the law over and over again have you ever heard of shocap? I Know there is problems and these kids need to be in programs with a more therapeutic approach rather than warehousing them, but unless they has a mental health problem they should know better. Remember most of these kids have victims. We the parents a partly to blame but again I don't see any of that here. I would really like your feedback on this PLEASE e-mail me back --thanks---John
John, Thank you for your message. I am glad that you view the site as both helpful and negative. We attempt to provide information so that parents have resources available to them. We have also focused on being the 'watchdog' over DJJ and are pleased to have seen the recent overhaul of the top positions in DJJ. We are hopeful that DJJ will be renewed under the leadership of Secretary Schembri. If you have a specific suggestion as to something you would like on the site, please share with us. We share all positive feedback that we receive. The problem is that we don't receive many positive messages. Cathy Corry
05/11/04 JJC operating outside the law
One month ago, the Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported, “One of the most egregious child abusers in Florida is the very agency that's supposed to rehabilitate troubled youths: the state Department of Juvenile Justice.” The highlight of the report was 661 substantiated abuse incidents occurring over the past 10 years in DJJ facilities. Much of this abuse is similar to the recently depicted abuses in Iraq prisons.
Last year, this commission might have prohibited me from saying this to you.
It was just one year ago that most of you commissioners were arrogant and foolish enough to think that you could violate citizens’ constitutional rights by voting to implement decorum rules; rules that would ensure that no citizen ever spoke about anything irrelevant or impertinent or gave any hint of being slanderous or boisterous. And if they dared, they could be handcuffed, assaulted by a Sheriff’s deputy and hauled off to jail.
Only one commissioner voted against those rules and that was Calvin Harris. ‘The man deserves some sort of medal’ is what Howard Troxler of the St Pete Times wrote. Troxler also wrote ‘this episode was simply a matter of the County Commission acting too big for its britches’. The rules were later suspended and the other 6 commissioners learned a lesson, I hope.
Calvin, I wonder if you so quickly voted ‘no’ to the decorum rules because you are so keenly aware of civil rights violations. Are you aware of other matters before you cast your vote? Or, do you just blindly vote, right along with the other so-called ‘honorables’ of this or that , like you admitted to doing last month, as Chair of the Circuit 6 Juvenile Justice Board, you voted to approve $370,000 worth of grants without having confirmed that the grant applications were reviewed as required by Florida Statute.
Here is my copy of the Grant Application Packet guidelines as set forth by the DJJ – same as the copy that you wouldn’t accept two weeks ago when Matt Sullivan handed it to you.
You wouldn’t schedule a meeting with me, so I tracked you down. You acknowledged to me that you did receive the grant application packet and you agreed to review it.
You also agreed that you would review the applicable Statutes [985.4135 and 985.415].
You agreed to respond to me after reviewing the Packet and Statutes.
I haven’t heard from you, so I’m wondering if you’ve done your homework.
I also wonder if you’ve ever been to a Pinellas or Pasco Juvenile Justice Council meeting. Both Councils have not been operating within the mandates of Florida law regarding membership and voting. Do you care?
04/19/04 Subject: Abuse at juvenile justice facilities
Re: Hundreds of child abuse cases found at detention centers, April 12, 2004
President George Bush recently proclaimed April 2004 as National Child Abuse Prevention Month while Governor Jeb Bush uses tax dollars to pay child abusers!
As reported on April 11, 2004 in the Orlando Sentinel newspaper - "One of the most egregious child abusers in Florida is the very agency that's supposed to rehabilitate troubled youths: the state Department of Juvenile Justice."
It is absolutely tragic that children suffer state-sanctioned child abuse. Governor Bush has long ignored the abuse and neglect complaints while those in power at DJJ allowed a horrific culture to fester!
As an advocate with www.justice4kids.org, I insist that an independent citizens oversight board be created so that abuse within DJJ is exposed and the abusers are held accountable for their crimes. Cathy 4/19/04
03/29/04 The monstrous mess is no longer a dirty little secret
I sent the following letter to the St. Petersburg Times editorial staff. I believe it captures my feelings and those of the legislative committee that exposed the corruption that has permeated the Department of Juvenile Justice. I wrote this in response to a Times editorial of March 27, 2004.
Re: Making DJJ safe, Editorial, March 27, 2004
During times of government crisis, we sadly have come to expect our leaders to circle the wagons, resort to spin tactics, and deny, deny, deny. Where is integrity? Do their oaths of office mean anything?
Government officials' responsibility is to serve, not ignore. In Governor Bush's 2nd inaugural address, he stated "our principles. . . must be intractably rooted in a culture that demands excellence, not adequacy". But for years, Governor Bush performed inadequately by ignoring the victims of DJJ. He handled DJJ complaints addressed to him by routing the complaints directly back to DJJ.
So, the all-too-often dismissive responses came from the very agency that parents and staff were complaining about. Former Volusia detention officer Karen Snead recently testified before the House Select Committee on Juvenile Detention Facilities. "If it gets reported, it's ignored" she stated after recounting numerous complaints she sent to DJJ officials and Governor Bush. The abuse and neglect at DJJ is so disturbing that www.justice4kids.org was contacted by the U. S. Department of Justice when the federal agency began to probe into widespread civil rights violations at DJJ facilities. Pres. George Bush's DOJ was dissecting Gov. Jeb Bush's DJJ while the tragedies at Florida's detention facilities kept mounting. Shawn Smith died at Volusia; Danny Matthews died at Pinellas; Omar Paisley died at Miami-Dade.
Then Rep. Gus Barreiro was appointed as Chair of a legislative committee assigned to investigate DJJ. He and committee members, Rep. Adams, Bilirakis, Gelber, Holloway, Marcelo, Needelman, Planas and Roberson are to be commended for exposing a cold, callous, corrupt culture that has festered for years and is still alive and kicking. DJJ was operating under a veil of secrecy that has now been lifted. The monstrous mess is no longer a dirty little secret. As the committee hearings progressed over the past 7 months, I saw a remarkable transformation. The demeanor of the committee members changed as they heard disturbing, shocking testimony that revealed deeply rooted systemic problems. What started as basic concern turned to annoyance, disgust, then anger. Rep. Barreiro said "I never saw any outrage by anybody in the Department of Juvenile Justice, and that's something that really upset me." Governor Bush recently called the criticism by the House members 'justified'. If Bush had only 'justified' the mountains of complaints all along!
Omar Paisley's death has hopefully forced the rebirth of a DJJ that is humane, committed and accountable. Barreiro said of DJJ "It's a recipe for disaster when you, yourselves, as authority are not accountable". A state-mandated independent citizen's oversight committee must be created so that DJJ victims always have a voice.
Cathy Corry 3/28/04
02/21/04 The issue of truth in DJJ is still out there
The issue of truth in DJJ is still out there, some where, but I think we are getting closer. On February 12, 2004, The Miami Herald published an OPINION piece titled "'Juvenile Justice Department seeks change and improvement." The following day I sent this respone to the Herald... In light of the events of the past week I have made a slight revision to this letter and sent it to Mr. Bankhead
Bill Bankhead, YOU could have prevented Omar Paisley's death, but you did not listen! What have you been focusing on during your five-year reign? Converting your juvenile detention centers into para-military warehouses? As an advocate with www.justice4kids.org for the past three years, I have tirelessly brought complaints to the attention of YOUR Department of Juvenile Justice. These complaints exhibited an alarming pattern of systemic problems of abuse and neglect within DJJ. Your Department consistently ignored or denied most complaints.
I am dismayed that you still haven't been able to "discover why employees did not feel empowered to respond to youth in distress". It is because your DJJ has created a culture of fear and corruption! Did you listen last fall, at the legislative hearing of the Select Committee on Juvenile Detention Facilities in Miami, when a Union Representative for detention officers spoke on behalf of your employees? Elizabeth Judd said "guards fear going outside the chain of command", "analytical critical thinking not allowed" and "administration is non-supportive". Judd also described the pathology of DJJ as 'intellectually dishonest". Two years prior, staffing concerns were addressed in a letter signed by 33 employees of the Pinellas Juvenile Detention Center in Clearwater. Your response did not give legitimate credence to their pleading voices, which included "management is compromising the safety of the children".
Bill Bankhead, you had three years of opportunities to work "tirelessly to uncover the root causes of this tragedy". In that time, you should have fixed your Department and prevented this tragedy! Why were you not listening to us? Why were you not responding to those of us who were helping you?
Clearly, those in power at DJJ view me as a thorn in their side. After continually encountering barriers at DJJ, I was stunned when I received a call 18 months ago from the U.S. Department in Justice in Washington DC. An attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ was requesting all abuse/neglect information that I had about Florida's juvenile justice facilities. Attorneys at the DOJ continue their probe. Bill Bankhead, why weren't you calling me?
The Miami-Dade grand jurors concluded their report with shameful, sharp criticism: "Our investigation has revealed a juvenile justice system plagued by a lack of commitment, a lack of supervision, a lack of guidelines, a lack of proper structure."
Bill Bankhead, if you had only heeded our warnings, Omar Paisley would not have died!
With sincerity and warm regards for your improved health,
02/05/04 Letter to Gov. Bush: Definition of "Excellence"
Governor Bush, Remember this is what you said last year - "our principles . . .must be intractably rooted in a culture that demands excellence, not adequacy"
Maybe your definition of excellence is different than what your citizenry knows as excellence? I demand excellence in our Florida Department of Juvenile Justice!
Grand Jury Report (excerpt): 'Thus, we concluded that the legislative testimony of Mr. Lumpee failed to accurately portray the reality of the situation at the MDRJDC.'
LARRY LUMPEE, Assistant Secretary of Detention, Department of Juvenile Justice ..... Is Larry your example of excellence? I think he is a LIAR!
FINAL REPORT OF THE MIAMI-DADE GRAND JURY - Spring 2003 INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEATH OF OMAR PAISLEY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE JUSTICE MIAMI-DADE REGIONAL JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER
Excerpts: 'We carefully watched the legislative hearings pertaining to the death of Omar Paisley. In the course of these hearings, we scrutinized the testimony of Larry Lumpee, Assistant Secretary [Detention] of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Mr Lumpee stated that each detention officer was capable of dialing 911 directly from any given facility in the event of an emergency. The Facility Operating Procedures in place in the MDRJDC indicate to the contrary. We heard compelling testimony regarding the fear of detention workers to defy their chain of command and to reach out to outside agencies. We learned of specific instruction communicated by the Superintendent of the facility to staff members prohibiting them from contacting external agencies without specific prior Superintendent approval. Thus, we concluded that the legislative testimony of Mr. Lumpee failed to accurately portray the reality of the situation at the MDRJDC.'
Cathy Corry - -
www.justice4kids.org
"our principles . . .must be intractably rooted in a
culture that demands excellence, not adequacy" - Governor Jeb Bush, Jan.2003
02/02/04 Jeb, it's time for Bill to go!
The time is long over due for substantive change at the Department of Juvenile Justice. On February 2, 2004 I sent an open letter to Gov. Bush. I'd like to share that letter with you.
Governor Jeb Bush,
Did you mean what you said just a year ago, as part of your 2nd inaugural address? You spoke of "profound human caring" and you stated "our principles...must be intractably rooted in a culture that demands excellence, not adequacy".
Do those principles not apply to Bill Bankhead, Secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice?
As an advocate with www.justice4kids.org, I have complained for several years about rampant abuse and neglect of youth in our juvenile justice facilities.
The Miami-Dade County Grand Jury recently completed the difficult task of analyzing one of the most egregious cases of neglect occurring in one of our state's juvenile detention centers. The grand jury became unified in their outrage over the "tragically preventable" and "senseless" death of 17-year-old Omar Paisley. In their report, the grand jury describes being "appalled at the utter lack of humanity demonstrated by many of the detention workers". They also state "At every turn in our investigation, we were confronted with incompetence, ambivalence and negligence on the part of the administration and the staff at the MDRJDC [Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center] as well as the nurses employed by Miami Children's Hospital." They concluded "Our investigation has revealed a juvenile justice system plagued by a lack of commitment, a lack of supervision, a lack of guidelines, a lack of proper structure."
Bill Bankhead is the leader of this deficient system. He is clearly inadequate, indifferent and disconnected. Do you still have confidence in Bill because he is your man of the hour for excellence?
Jeb, it's time for Bill to go!
12/29/03
Juvenile Justice needs accountability
I'd like to share with you my letter to Editors of the St. Petersburg Times
written in response to a Times article of December 25, 2003.
Juvenile Justice needs accountability Re: Not very helpful, editorial, Dec. 25. Thank you for shining the spotlight on the systemic problems within the Department of Juvenile Justice that have dominated Secretary Bill Bankhead's five-year reign. Bankhead's proposals and recommendations are good; but all of the rules, regulations and procedures in the world will not change the culture of corruption in the DJJ. The integrity of the department's administration is lacking. Who can trust that the DJJ personnel will make good decisions for our youth in their care and custody? Citizen oversight is critical for accountability in DJJ. Bankhead has been somewhat responsive to lawmakers only because he must. His administration cannot ignore the presence of the House Select Committee on Juvenile Detention Facilities the way it has consistently ignored those directly affected by the department's failings. Bankhead would likely not be in the serious quandary he currently is in, if he had all along viewed his own facility employees as helpful instead of "disgruntled"' and if he had viewed parents and advocates (www.justice4kids.org) as a guiding light instead of as "troublemakers." The predominant issues plaguing the DJJ are of the common-sense variety. Why would any adult, in any circumstance, ever have to obtain permission to call 911 to get medical assistance for a dying child? Elizabeth Judd, Union Staff Representative for the Juvenile Detention Officers, testified at the Sept. 10 Miami legislative committee hearing that "guards fear going outside the chain of command" and "analytical critical thinking is not allowed." Her testimony rings loud and clear. Bill Bankhead, when will you rid the DJJ of this culture of fear? ~ Cathy Corry, Clearwater 12/29/03
Click St. Petersburg Times Opinion page (then scroll down to the letter.)
12/15/03 JDC administration again tried to get rid of me
| ANOTHER PIECE OF THE CONSPIRACY PUZZLE (against yours truly) was formed
yesterday: Sunday, December 14, 2003, at the Pinellas Juvenile Detention
Center (JDC), the JDC administration again tried to get rid of me and
another JUSTICE4KIDS advocate- Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO)
report #03-296016 (Deputy Timothy Myers). They attempted the same on June
21, 2003 - PCSO Sheriff report #03-147131 (Deputy Brandon Harvey) And, we've
had numerous threats of this, and other issues, over the past 2
½ years. We have always maintained being
pleasant and polite, so we don't fit their category of 'disorderly'. The
cops clearly attempt to escalate the issue, but we don't take the bait. Same
issue both times - JDC wants the Sheriff to issue a trespass warning on us
for standing on the sidewalk area in front of the main entrance "causing a
disturbance" at the "private" facility. The June event lasted about
½ hour. Dec. 14, we were delayed for one
hour. NO WARNING WAS ISSUED EITHER TIME.
Detail from June 21 Sheriff's report by Deputy Harvey: "DJJ Shift Supervisor Stephen Murphy . . . stated the building was private property, and that the two subjects had no right to be there. It was later determined that the building was actually a public building", and "advised Stephen that as long as Catherine and David were not being disorderly or blocking the entrance, that they couldn't be forced off the property." Today, December 14, Deputy Myers was not pleased that we wouldn't leave. He initially kept insisting that it was private property. I told him that back in June, Deputy Harvey determined that it was public property. Frustrated and annoyed, he called his Corporal, who was quite testy and a bit rude, and also extremely displeased that we were wasting their time. The Corporal complained to us that we were tying up 3 cars and 3 officers. We kept politely insisting that we had a right to be there, so the rude Corporal then called the Sergeant. Still not able to resolve this, they now tell us they are contacting the Lieutenant. The final outcome is not so final. The Corporal told us that Sheriff officials will be speaking with the DJJ officials this week to decide whether we are allowed on the property or not. Stay tuned... |
 Deputy Myers was not pleased that we wouldn't leave. |
12/05/03 My Word H O M E W O R K for Select Committee Members
During non-business hours, place a phone call to the DJJ OIG hotline 800-355-2280. Imagine that you are a youth in distress at a juvenile detention center. You've just been punched in the stomach by a JDO (after being pulled into a side room out of video monitor camera range). Imagine, as that youth, that you call the DJJ OIG hotline phone number (if you ever even knew this phone number existed). The youth makes the call and gets a confusing lengthy message (a seasoned adult would have a difficult time following). And remember, the youth does not have paper or pencil to take notes of the exasperating instructions on the voice message.
________
At the Select Committee hearing in Clearwater on October 8, 2003, Deputy Secretary Frank Alarcon stated, in testimony, that there are two phone numbers "immediately available to anyone including young persons themselves."
Representative Gus Barreiro (R) Miami (Chairman) to Alarcon: Is there a number within the Department of Juvenile Justice a parent is notified from the getgo that if there is a problem or concern about the care of their child, they can call this number and they will investigate the situation?
Alarcon: There are two numbers immediately available to anyone including young persons themselves. One is the Inspector General 's number, and the other is the child abuse number. So there are two avenues which someone that sees something going wrong could immediately use that phone number.
Barreiro to Parent Steve Watson: When your child was placed in the program, did someone hand you a form and say that if you ever had a problem, that you may call this number and we'll investigate it?
Steve Watson: No,...since the day my son was sentenced, I never received any paperwork, not even on the sentencing...
Barreiro to section of audience: Has anyone given you a number? Audience: In unison: NO!
Barreiro to another section of the audience: Has anyone given you a number?
Audience: NO!
________
Some parents might have received a form titled DJJ GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE from their child's caseworker (JPO). It is a lengthy form describing a 4-step process for making a complaint through the JPO, then to the Operations Program Administrator, then to the Juvenile Justice Manager. The final sentence in the 4-step process is "The Juvenile Justice Manager's decision is final." Near the bottom of this form is a small section that lists the ABUSE HOTLINE phone number and brief specifics.
I have been inside three DJJ facilities and I do recall the abuse registry hotline phone number posted on walls in areas that would be utilized by staff or youth; never was it targeted to inform the parent; I never saw the DJJ OIG phone number posted. My son, nor other youth I have spoken to, knows nothing about this DJJ OIG hotline number.
I did eventually find out that the OIG existed at the DJJ. I was told about this OIG division by two former Pinellas JDOs who explained to me their method of complaining about their issues of harassment, threats, racism, nepotism, etc.
Once I did know that the DJJ OIG hotline existed, I called it. My first call was two years ago. What a confusing experience! I can imagine what a youth would think or feel if they called the OIG hotline number during non-business hours in which they receive a voice recording. Please call the DJJ OIG hotline phone number 800-355-2280. The message is 1 minute and 40 seconds in length. Various confusing statements are on this message regarding A & B list reports, method of reporting and e-mail communication.
11/14/03 Governor Bush: Most DJJ victim fear retaliation
I sent this e-mail to Governor Bush today (11/14/03) in the hope that he cares enough and will take time enough to read it and respond...I'll let you know.
Governor Bush,
Please change the administration of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. It is imperative that you listen to the taped public hearing testimony of the Select Committee on Juvenile Detention Facilities (Miami on 9/10/03 and Clearwater on 10/8/03). Be certain to keep the following in mind while you are listening: that the parents, youth, staff and former staff who gave testimony are only a fraction of the multitude of DJJ victims. These are the people who had the courage to speak out. Most DJJ victims fear retaliation. Much of the testimony describes that fear.
Please pay particular attention to the details of the testimony given by Kathleen Gallagher at the Clearwater hearing. She worked in several mid-Florida juvenile detention centers for DJJ for 11 years before resigning approximately 2 years ago. She gives clear testimony about the failings of the DJJ. She states that DJJ has lost its soul.
I have spent three years uncovering the abuses and corruption within DJJ. For the first two years, I consistently hit the brick wall/deaf ear when filing complaints and expressing concerns at the local and state level. Then, fourteen months ago, I received a telephone call from an attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U. S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. Litigation Attorney Lisa Graybill described how the DOJ had initiated a probe into abuse and neglect incidents at all of Florida's juvenile facilities. I was incredulous that my own State had little interest in my complaints and now the Federal government was calling requesting all of my information on abuse and neglect incidents! I initially provided all of my information to Lisa Graybill and have since worked with another Attorney at the DOJ, Greg Gonzalez, for the past year.
The DJJ administration should have been working with me rather than against me! Instead, they have chosen to threaten, harass, intimidate or ignore me. I am clearly a thorn in their side!
There are many dedicated, caring workers within DJJ. Some workers regularly applaud my efforts and encourage me to keep up the fight for our children. Please implement immediate changes in the DJJ administration before we lose more of our precious children!
Cathy Corry - - www.justice4kids.org
At justice4kids.org, Inc., we work on a very, very thin budget so we are always looking for an inexpensive forum to make our case for juvenile justice. One such forum, available to every citizen of Pinellas County, is the Board of County Commissioners meeting. The meeting is held twice each month and is televised on Channel 18 in Pinellas County, Florida. With this in mind, on July 29, 2003 I made the following speech before the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners:
"My name is Cathy Corry and I represent justice4kids.org
A St Petersburg Times EDITORIAL of July 6, 2003 titled Review juvenile care policy- read:
| "Does the
state not have any professional standards for people who work with children here in Florida? Erika Doman's question was tinged with anger but grounded in logic. After all, she had seen her granddaughter's arms and legs covered with bruises after an apparent beating at the hands of staff members of the Florida Youth Academy in Largo. And after all, this is Florida, a state with a shameful legacy of not giving adequate oversight to its child welfare providers. According to police, other youths at the facility reported similar treatment." |
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice refers youth to this and almost 200 other facilities throughout the state.
Youth are abused at these facilities and little is done about it. It's the rare abuse incident that is reported and exposed. These facilities harbor a culture of abuse by staff, and there is a climate of fear among the abused.
Bill Bankhead, Secretary of the Dept of Juvenile Justice, responded with assurance that he wants "to see the best-qualified staff possible in positions that work directly with this state's most troubled youths." I question the sincerity of that assurance.
My experience shows that Bankhead does not "work to see that the highest standards are enforced".
I have spent more than two years exposing rampant abuse and neglect of youth within these facilities. If Bankhead is truly concerned about "the safety of the youth committed to the department's custody," he would work with me, rather than against me, to eliminate this abuse. His good ol' boys do more than just ignore me; they actively attempt to silence me with threats, harassment and intimidation.
If Bankhead genuinely cared, his staff would be writing to him instead of to me with their complaints of staff shortages, burnout, overcrowded conditions, discrimination, inadequate training and other serious concerns, such as abuse of youth by staff and the subsequent cover-up using creative report writing (and they are taught how to do this).
I invite Bankhead to stand with me at my Pinellas Juvenile Detention Center, where 17-year-old Daniel Matthews died tragically and unnecessarily in a fight recently. I challenge him to build the same confidence with parents and staff as I have, to listen to their complaints and concerns, and pursue the necessary avenues to try to make things right.
And, here in Pinellas County, we need more citizens to step up to the plate, to be a part of changing this shameful legacy of our county and our state."
07/25/03 Are you up for this challenge, Mr. Bankhead?
W.G. "Bill" Bankhead, as the highest ranking employee in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), needs a dose of reality. Bankhead does NOT "work to see that the highest standards are enforced" as he said in a June 21, 2003 letter to the St. Petersburg Times. As a youth advocate representing www.justice4kids.org I have spent over two years exposing rampant abuse and neglect of youth within Florida's juvenile justice facilities. If Bankhead was truly concerned about "the safety of the youth committed to the department's custody", he would be working with me, rather than against me, toward eliminating this abuse. He and his good 'ole boys do more than just ignore me; they actively attempt to silence me with threats, harassment and intimidation. In their desperation to hide the truth, DJJ is clearly frustrated in their attempts to get rid of me.
If Bankhead genuinely cared, his staff would be writing to him instead of me with their complaints of staff shortages, burnout, overcrowded conditions, discrimination, inadequate training, and concerns such as: "we have tried to voice our opinions, but we are shot down as rebels" and "some officers enjoy watching a child scream and beg them to stop; then it is a simple matter of covering it up in the report".
I invite Bill Bankhead to stand with me at 'my' Pinellas Regional Juvenile Detention Center, where 17 year-old Daniel Matthews died tragically and unnecessarily in a fight recently. I challenge him to build the same confidence with parents and staff as I have, to listen to their complaints and concerns, and pursue the necessary avenues to try to make things right. Are you up for this challenge, Mr. Bankhead? You know how to contact me.
12/10/02 Shaking the tree for social change
Shaking the tree for social change (correcting the failings in Florida's juvenile justice system, for example) is a slow and frustrating process. Successes are hard-won and very time-consuming. In rare instances, though, a victory can come in a flash when least expected. Here is an example:
On December 6, 2002, I attended a national conference in Orlando hosted by Under Our Wings, an organization devoted to ending juvenile injustice by treating children as "the children they are, rather than the adults they are not". A woman attending the conference stood, introduced herself as Kathleen and said she had been employed by the Florida Dept of Juvenile Justice for the past 10 years. She conveyed her distress of witnessing many problems within the juvenile justice system. She was familiar with the Volusia County juvenile detention center and said she quit her job after the suicide of a young teenager there last year. Sitting directly behind Kathleen was Terri Mestre who said "That was my son!" The former employee replied, "You're Shawn Smith's mother? I quit my job for your son!" They immediately hugged and cried. As I sat next to Terri, I cried too, as did many in the audience. A small victory, like a bolt of lightning out of the blue.
To witness moments like this is part of what keeps me going.
Click here to read about Shawn's tragic death after he was continually abused by Florida Dept of Juvenile Justice workers.
09/30/02 We shouldn't be playing switcheroo on these children
I wonder... A young teen can be prosecuted as an "adult" in the criminal justice system for many crimes allegedly committed. The majority of teens tried in adult court are charged with nonviolent crimes; some are even first-time offenders. This "child" is deemed capable of understanding the trial process and making decisions concerning his defense. Also, it is viewed that the choices made by the child during a criminal act were with the intent and forethought of an adult. If convicted, the "child" can be sentenced to many years in adult prison or the death penalty.
However, if acquitted, this "child" does not continue to be viewed as an adult. If the child was mature enough to be tossed into the adult criminal justice system, then why wouldn't this same child be deemed mature enough to be part of a jury for determining the fate of other citizens, as well as be able to marry, vote, drive, drink alcohol, etc.?
I believe our society should treat 'children as children' and 'adults as adults' with age 18 being the most-agreed upon age of adulthood. The juvenile justice system is designed for the adjudication of alleged child offenders. We shouldn't be playing switcheroo on these children who are too psychologically and physiologically immature to be functioning in the adult world. I'd like to know what you think.
Cathy Corry
