In the video, #stateattorney Candidate #gregglerman relays his plan for direct outreach through the school system with partner agencies like the Public Defender’s office, the School Board, #lawenforcement , the County Commission and returning citizens with direct knowledge about the pitfalls of getting involved in the #criminaljusticesystem . His plan will also include collaborative efforts with stakeholder agencies to explain the #juvenilejustice system to children and parents. He also is a proponent of continuing education and vocation trade instruction with those juveniles already in custody at the Jail.
In consultation with juvenile defense attorneys, judges and other community leaders and stakeholders, #gregglerman believes improvements are needed and necessary within the #criminaljusticesystem , much of which can be accomplished with focused training of the existing and future #stateattorney corps of attorneys and staff.
Here are some of Gregg’s plans in this arena:
• The primary goal and focus of the juvenile division is rehabilitation. Some of the current Assistant State Attorneys realize that, but many do not. It seems that the State Attorney Office leadership clearly does not currently endorse that concept. #DirectFile policy needs to be looked at, as youth charged as adults are more likely to commit a future felony than similar peers rehabilitated in the juvenile delinquency system. This is not surprising. The goal of the adult criminal justice system is not to rehabilitate – it is to punish. Youth growing up in such a system struggle to develop the skills necessary to be successful.
• The State Attorney’s Office needs to revisit its policy on juvenile (and adult) plea offers and begin to move away from its cookie cutter plea offers. More time is needed to analyze the cases and speak with the defense attorneys regarding appropriate pleas that are geared toward facilitating the successful completion of probation.
• There is concern that the SAO requests too many community service hours. Community service is important, but too many hours can leave the kids feeling overwhelmed. There are transportation issues for many of them which makes Community Service difficult. Less restrictive options for credit programs via sports, counseling and positive social activities should be explored and promoted.
• The Juvenile Division Chief, along with the other State Attorney brass, needs to be in the courtrooms more to keep in touch with the activity taking place in order to better manage their Divisions with training and policy needs. Better collaboration needs to happen between the SAO Juvenile Division leads and their counterparts at the Public Defender’s Office to discuss reducing recidivism and other issues can be continually addressed. Similar collaboration between the SAO Juvenile Chief and the Department of Juvenile Justice Chief probation officer on a regular basis needs to happen, with a better focus and involvement than currently exists regarding juvenile re-entry.
We are at a moment in history where there are more police officers in our schools than there are nurses. There is an acute need for more student counselors, social workers, psychologists and behavioral management training for teachers. Parent and parent organization demands for safety in the schools are understandable, but since Parkland the focus has become zero-tolerance with severe consequences for the students, instead of using scarce resources to help kids in need of intervention. The ACLU of Florida tells us
“It is normal for adolescents to make poor choices and mistakes. We’ve learned that tough on crime policies backfire with young people, pulling them deeper into delinquency and making it increasingly difficult for them to leave their pasts behind as they head into adulthood. Pre-arrest diversion addresses this by meeting the youth where they are with individualized assessment and interventions to address unmet needs without shouldering them with an arrest and criminal prosecution. In the end, pre-arrest diversion saves money, reduces crime through reduced recidivism, and improves youth outcomes.
As your next State Attorney, working to reduce local jail populations without compromising public safety will be important. During my campaign I have discussed in many of my dozens of talks with voters (many available on YouTube) that there are many people in jail who should not be there, due to substance abuse, mental health issues, etc. The State Attorney Office will be taking the lead in these efforts, collaborative efforts which will make our community safer.
