Understanding Juvenile Drug Court from Tragedy to Triumph
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Dugger: Look for the silver lining ......................2 Hats Off!: Beverly McClain...................................8 FUGITIVES Protect and Serve ............................................3 We Need Your Help; Unsolved Murders .............. 10 Summertime CAPTURED 2581 Message from Sheriff John Rutherford .................4 elebrate JSO Wanted ........................................................ 11 options for Celebrating Independence ................................5 C Missing Persons ..................................................... 13 MISSING FSS Missing Children ........................................5 Shame, Shame, Shame; Busted .....................14 kids/teens PERSONS Mayor Brown: New Summer Initiative works end Area Most Wanted ........................................15 ndep ence see p. 7 FOUND 179 to prevent Youth Crime & Victimization ........7 I Special Thanks ..............................................16 AVAILABLE ONLINE 24/7 JULY 2014 WWW.JUSTICECOALITION.ORG Volume 20 • Number 4 • FREE New laws protect From tragedy to triumph: human trafficking New laws protect our families victims By Lisa Root Office of the Fourth Judicial Circuit was able to prosecute some of the criminals and obtained convictions. Leaders Last summer was like none other and truly rocked our By Jay Howell and members of the First Coast community gathered for community. Within a few short months, Jacksonville lost public meetings to ask questions and present ideas for In recent years our state several children and young people—ages two to twenty- solutions. Lawmakers from around the State of Florida legislature and the United two—to homicide. Lysa Telzer, herself a victim/client worked with leaders and legal experts to create bills that States Congress have made of Justice Coalition, came on board as a victim advocate would bring about change. Governor Rick Scott signed substantial changes in the at the JC the same week Cherish Perrywinkle was kid- the bills into law. statutes that address the napped and killed. She became fully immersed in her job Some cases, however, remain unsolved…the murder- issue of human trafficking. in what turned out to be a monumental first week for her. ers remain free…the families remain in need of answers… In the past the Florida Legis- Lysa, along with the Justice Coalition, helped plan eight those who have the answers remain silent. That summer lature has declared that human trafficking funerals in less than three months. The community and of sadness forever etched into the minds of citizens, af- is a form of modern day slavery and that the families were in mourning; it was a summer of tears. fecting not only the First Coast but the State of Florida while many victims of human trafficking From hit-and-runs to drive-by shootings, to the abduc- and even other parts of the country. are forced to work in prostitution or the tion, rape and murder of a child by a convicted sexual sexual entertainment industry, trafficking offender, the senseless crimes in our community raised a The crimes, the victims, the results: also occurs in forms of labor exploitation public outcry for justice and change. Much has happened such as domestic servitude, restaurant in the last year as a result. Cherish Perrywinkle work, janitorial work, sweatshop factory The media alerted the community about each crime work, and migrant agricultural work. The and kept the public aware of progress made. Citizens Friday, June 21, 2013, 8-year-old Legislature has identified the tech- kept a watchful eye and called in tips. Crime preven- Cherish Perrywinkle was shop- niques the traffickers use to include iso- tion and victim-serving organizations walked the streets ping with her mother and two lating victims from the public and family looking for answers, urging more people to speak up and younger sisters for some much- members, confiscating passports and visas speak out. JSO worked diligently and quickly to gather needed clothes. Cherish was to or other identification documents, using clues, follow leads and make arrests. The State Attorney’s Justice... Continued on page 6 or threatening to use violence toward the victims or their families and informing the victims that they will be imprisoned or de- ported for immigration violations if they Understanding Juvenile Drug Court contact authorities. Florida criminal statutes define human By Angela Corey methods—when appropriate—in ju- fact they can receive a shorter sentence trafficking as transporting, soliciting, re- State Attorney venile cases and that is why juveniles based upon a recommendation by the cruiting, harboring, providing, enticing, are routinely sent to other diversion Department of Juvenile Justice that is maintaining or obtaining another per- Juvenile Drug programs by the SAO which also pro- usually much more compatible with son for the purpose of the exploitation of Court (JDC) is a hot vide substance abuse treatment. the schedules of working parents. that person. The recently concluded 2014 topic as of late. Unfor- It is important to note that the SAO The number of cases in JDC has Florida Legislature enacted new laws that tunately, only some is not the only party responsible for declined over the years for several will establish additional programs to aid of the information on requesting a case be sent to JDC. In reasons. For starters, fewer juvenile the victims of trafficking. The emphasis this diversion program has been re- fact, Florida law states that the juve- cases have been opened by the SAO. of the new law is on intervention, safety ported by the media. What you may nile’s defense attorney, the court and In 2009, the SAO’s juvenile case count and treatment for sexually exploited chil- not realize is that in order for a ju- the SAO can request a referral to JDC. was 6,184. In 2013, that number was dren. The new law establishes standards venile to be sent to JDC, the juvenile Last year, court administration, 3,226. It should also be noted that in for residential safe houses to treat sexually must be arrested. An arrest is required judges and members of the Public 2013 nearly half of the cases the SAO exploited children and authorizes a cer- so the case can be tracked through the Defender’s Office (PDO) met to dis- referred to Juvenile Drug Court were tification program for safe houses at the Clerk of the Courts because the JDC is cuss how to send more juveniles to rejected by JDC. Department of Children and Families. The funded by a federal grant and subject JDC. The PDO and court administra- Some have claimed the SAO refus- law requires the Department of Children to its requirements. tion agreed to review cases and send es to send cases to drug court diver- and Families to create and adopt screen- Although some special interest the SAO information on cases which sion; this is simply not true. Juveniles ing and assessment tools for identifying groups publicly support non-arrest were appropriate for JDC. Seven who have already received an oppor- and assisting sexually exploited children. methods, these same individuals are months after that meeting, the SAO tunity at diversion are generally not The Department of Children and now claiming to be upset that more still has not received information on referred to the drug court diversion Families and the community based care juveniles have not been sent to JDC. potential cases from the PDO or court program. The SAO does make excep- agencies that operate under its umbrella The State Attorney’s Office (SAO) administration. tions to this in appropriate cases, such will be required to initiate response pro- routinely diverts juvenile drug cases The JDC is a year-long program, as, when the Defense provides mitiga- tocols regarding procedures to be taken to the appropriate diversion pro- which requires the juvenile and his or tion. The SAO has also agreed to send when the department encounters sexu- gram, which may include JDC, but the her parents to be in court several times cases to drug court as a condition of ally exploited children. The new law cre- SAO will not arrest a juvenile just so a month. As a result, many juveniles probation for defendant’s who would ates a new statewide council on human we can send the juvenile to JDC. The and their parents decline to accept the otherwise be facing a commitment Trafficking... Continued on page 4 SAO is committed to using non-arrest rigorous drug court offer due to the program. The views, opinions, and positions expressed in articles submitted by monthly and/or pe- The Justice Coalition is a grass roots, non-profit (501(c)3), non-partisan organization that operates on contri- riodic contributors to the Victims’ Advocate butions, proceeds from fundraising events and newspaper advertisements, etc. Please help us continue our newspaper do not necessarily reflect the advocacy for innocent victims of violent crime in NE Florida. Visit our website at www.justicecoalition.org, or views of the Justice Coalition. call (904)783-6312 to see how you can be a part of this vital service. JUly 2014 The JUsTice coaliTion’s VicTims’ adVocaTe • 1 Look for the silver lining just not that simple. Each of us Grief is the natural, psycho- violence services at here—whether staff or client— logical response to loss and we the University From the Director has faced loss, pain and grief need to allow ourselves to go of Virginia. as an orchestrated part of our through it in order to enter into In the ground by Ann Dugger journey. As much as we don’t the next season healthy and little bit of rules for want to feel pain or see anyone strong. research I their com- else experience it, once someone have done puter and phone It seems like just a month is in such a trying season of life, Digital Domestic on the topic, I use, determining ago we were still wrapped up in the only way to get to the other discovered many consequences for break- scarves and wearing boots, pray- side of the grief is to go through Violence cases where the con- ing those rules.