Apr 27, 2012

Dear DJJ Team Members:

Welcome to my weekly letter. Please allow me to share some recent news and announcements.

ON THE ROAD: It’s always good to get out of Tallahassee and into the field to see and speak with employees, members of the public and other stakeholders. This week I traveled to Central Florida and Gainesville to participate in various meetings and events to advance the cause of juvenile justice reform.


On Monday, I was honored to participate in a news conference in Orlando to promote civil citation. State Attorney Lawson Lamar, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, Osceola County Sheriff Bob Hansel, myself and other members of the law enforcement community announced that the Ninth Judicial Circuit will offer civil citation as an alternative to arrest, starting in May. This is great news and I am grateful to State Attorney Lamar and other public safety officials in Central Florida for their support of civil citation.


Later in the day I visited Maynard Evans High School in Orlando, which recently re-opened after a new school was built on the site of the first one, which was constructed in 1958. Evans High School serves a historically economically disadvantaged area and the new facility reflects tremendous community support. I was pleased to see students and staff working so well together in this wonderful new place of learning.


On Tuesday morning, Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger escorted me on a tour of the juvenile detention center in Sanford. The county recently assumed responsibility for operating the facility, and it is no longer run by DJJ. I commend Sheriff Eslinger and his staff for being so cooperative during the transition of juvenile detention from DJJ to county responsibility. The sheriff and I later met with various judges, the public defender, chiefs of police, our chief probation officer (CPO) and other public safety officials for a roundtable discussion of issues and challenges facing juvenile justice. It was gratifying to see and hear from so many people who want to help at-risk youth in the communities we serve.


Shortly afterward, I held an impromptu meeting with Circuit 18 Probation staff in their offices to discuss the reforms we are making and to hear from employees. I wish to thank the following staff who attended: CPO Dan Rogers, Deputy CPO Denise Devlin, juvenile probation officer (JPO) supervisors Jesse Renteria and Robyn Worlds, JPOs Tracy Olson-Luker, Sr., Harold Dixon, James Argeros, Jim Mitchell, Julie Rogers, Pearl McKahan, Tom Oliver, Cornelius Gray, Sharon Lawrence, Vanessa Merriman and Kara Green and Secretary Specialist Emilia Barrios.

Vanessa Merriman wrote to me afterward: “I just want to THANK You again for stopping by Seminole County DJJ to provide answers and suggestions to how “we” can help our troubled-at-risk youths, families and our community. We are so proud and honored to know there is someone who actually cares and understands the struggles and road blocks that we are presented with each and every day here at DJJ. Again, THANKS!” Cornelius Gray wrote: “I would like to thank you and Ms. Daly for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet with your staff in Seminole County. Your presence was greatly appreciated. It appears morale has been restored with just your presence; well at least for me. Thanks for just listening and giving us the opportunity to make a change. I am confident your passion for your staff will get us through this difficult time here in Seminole County. I hope to hear from you soon.”


On Wednesday, I was back in Orlando to meet with members of the Florida Juvenile Justice Association (FJJA) to discuss the importance of civil citation and to explain the nuts-and-bolts of how the process works. I wish to recognize the other leaders who joined me in this important conversation: Miami-Dade Juvenile Services Director Morris Copeland, Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Charles Hurley, Ellen Skidmore with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Tom Olk and Lisa Sherry with DISC Village and Karen Locke with Crosswind Youth Services.


On Thursday, I attended a meeting in Gainesville of the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet, of which I am a member. Theda Roberts, who manages special projects for DJJ, delivered a presentation on human trafficking. She also summarized the important legislation that passed this year (HB 99, HB 1355, HB 7049) which addresses this serious issue. We also announced that a Human Trafficking Summit will be held in Tallahassee on Sept. 24 (stay tuned for more details later in the year).

CONGRATULATIONS: I was delighted to attend today’s graduation ceremony for the following students who completed basic officer training at the Florida Public Safety Institute in Tallahassee. Each received a certificate for completing 240 hours of training to become a juvenile justice detention officer (JDO).

Shakendra Alexander, Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center (RJDC)
Tracie Bass, Volusia RJDC
Christopher Battles, Leon RJDC
Rodney Booker, Duval RJDC
Kasandra Burger, Volusia RJDC
Karla Castro-Burns, Monroe RJDC
Levent Duzen, Collier RJDC
Fritzie Estimond, Monroe RJDC
Junior Fleuridor, Monroe RJDC
Charles Foster, St. Lucie RJDC
Margaret Henley, Okaloosa RJDC
Tara Johnson, Okaloosa RJDC
Nathan Jones, Duval RJDC
Melva Knight, Okaloosa RJDC
Joel Laurenceau, St. Lucie RJDC
Ryan McGriff, Duval RJDC
Ledarius Murphy, Monroe RJDC
Dwayne Murray, II, Volusia RJDC
Justin Nyland, Bay RJDC
Tarneisha Thomas, St. Lucie RJDC
Abel Thompson, Escambia RJDC
Amy Tucker, Okaloosa RJDC
Shawn Turner, Collier RJDC
Christopher Walker, Marion RJDC

DETENTION KUDOS: Following is a letter received this month from a youth and shared by Superintendent Eddie Roberts of Pasco RJDC. JDO Luis “CJ” Cajinarobleto. Eddie says “Officer CJ spent 26 years in the Marines and has an excellent rapport with the youth at the Pasco RJDC. This letter is only one example of his commitment to dedicating time to help counsel and guide our youth towards being productive, law-abiding young men. Officer CJ demonstrates the type of care and concern we are looking for to help supervise misguided youth that are in our care.” (Names of all youths and parents are deleted for confidentiality.)

Mr. CJ: I just want to thank you for your patience with me and all the great advice that was given to me from the heart of your soul. I also thank you for helping me out in numerous amounts of ways. My stay in JDC was so much better thanks to you. I have taken in each piece of advice that you have given me; I greatly appreciate it. I believe that what you have told me will help me out tremendously. For all the times that you pulled me aside I am very grateful…

PROBATION KUDOS: Circuit 20 CPO Margaret “Peg” LaMarca shares the letter below from a grateful parent to JPO Byron Brown. JPO Supervisor Lut Sagrado agrees Byron deserves recognition for his hard work and dedication to helping youth turn their lives around.

Hi Byron: Just wanted to thank everyone at juvenile probation here in Lee County and Judge Kyle for getting my daughter the help she so desperately needed, but especially you. She is happier and healthier than she has ever been in her life. She would never have reached this point without your stern yet caring guidance. You always dealt with [my daughter] in such a professional but kind manner and words cannot express how grateful our entire family is for your patience and concern. The time and effort you put into getting her on the right track will never be forgotten and you will forever have a special place in my heart, and hers. I will keep you updated on my daughter's progress as she continues to move forward and establish a new and productive life over in Broward County. I sincerely believe she will make you proud. Thank you again for everything.

PROVIDER KUDOS: Appropriate intervention and probationary services can have a profound effect on the success of our youth and their families. Circuit 4 CPO Robert Charlton shares this heartfelt letter sent to Clay County Judge Richard R. Townsend. In it, a parent details the positive impact to her family as a result of her son’s successful intervention through functional family therapy and commending the therapist, Matthew Ditslear with Camelot Community Care.

Dear Judge Townsend: I am writing this letter to you for the purpose of explaining how family therapy has helped our family and my son. He got in trouble for the first time in April 2011. At that time, I was going through a divorce. My children lived with me. I have two other [younger] children, a 12-year old daughter and a 9-year old son. My eldest son was on probation but hadn’t yet cleaned up his act. He was deceiving all of us through his use of K2 in place of marijuana. He was manipulating his dad and me for his benefit. He was often violent at home by punching holes in the walls and leaving without permission… He got into trouble again in July and was placed in [a residential program] from August through November… When my son was released [from the residential program] in November in-home counseling was ordered.


Matthew Ditslear, a family therapist with Camelot Community Care counseling services, was assigned to our family… In the beginning, our communication was not good. It was hard for my younger children to trust their brother again. He would have bursts of anger at times. Matt helped us to develop communication skills. He taught my son how to “check in” with the younger children to avoid conflicts. He taught my son and me how to work through conflicts we had. He taught our family how to deal with behaviors that had escalated and how to separate ourselves, calm down, and then talk about the problems. He also worked with my son on personal issues like girlfriend problems and his being separated from his father. He helped my son think about his future goals and plans. He challenged my son [to do better] in his sports and academics. Our family really learned a lot and our house is much more peaceful today due to the counseling from Matt…All in all, I feel this counseling has brought our family a long way… Thank you for assigning this to my son as a requirement for his probation. It has really helped our family.

WELCOME: Ronald Morrell has joined the Office of Research and Planning as an analyst. He will be responsible primarily for data analysis dealing with Probation, including assisting with civil citation and the Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT). He was previously employed at the Florida Department of Children and Families, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program Office (SAMH), where he worked with data and the SAMH information system. He has more than 16 years’ experience in data analysis and research, training, database design and system maintenance. Ron has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a master’s degree in school psychology from Trinity University and he studied institutional research at Florida State University. He also has more than 25 years of military service. Please join me in welcoming Ron to our team!

CIRCUIT 5 GARDEN: Kudos to Marion RJDC and Circuit 5 staff from Probation and Community Intervention as well as Prevention and Victim Services for working together to create a garden at Marion RJDC Ocala. Their goal is to have a community service site for probationary youth. Produce grown will be used in the detention kitchen and given to a local food bank.

SUPPORT FOR A COLLEAGUE: DJJ employees are often more than coworkers; many of people we work with are our friends. Betty Parkins, the wife of Alachua RJDC Superintendent Charles “Chuck” Parkins and former Marion RJDC officer from 2002 to 2004, was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer last year. Betty’s former schoolmate, David Linn – the son of Becky Linn in Prevention and Victim Services – organized a kickball tournament last spring to raise Betty’s spirits. Staff from Circuits 5 and 8 formed teams and participated along with other businesses and churches in the Ocala community. On March 24, the first annual Safe at Second Kickball Tournament for Breast Cancer Awareness was held, honoring Betty. Over 300 people attended and 12 kickball teams participated. Chuck says, “She still has some treatment ahead of her, but she is improving. It was a great event and everyone had a lot of fun.” Chuck says they plan to continue the annual tournament to honor others facing a similar challenge and raise awareness about breast cancer.

DJJ staff at the Safe at Second Kickball Tournament for Breast Cancer Awareness

It is heartwarming to see the personal care and concern employees extend to youth and fellow employees. To all employees, thank you for all you do.

Sincerely,

Wansley Walters

Secretary

PS: Please send any noteworthy or newsworthy items for consideration in my weekly letter to Communications Director C. J. Drake at cj.drake@djj.state.fl.us or call 850.921.5905. Submissions are considered on a space-available basis and may be edited for clarity and length. Thank you for your cooperation.