Jul 06, 2012

Dear DJJ team members:

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

DJJ HERO DEPLOYS: Onazina Washington,a Prevention and Victim Services community outreach coordinator and U.S. Army reservist with the 160^th Military Police Battalion, will be deployed to Afghanistan for a nine-month tour of duty starting July 19. Today is his last day at DJJ until after he returns home. Onazina has worked at DJJ for nine years. He was a juvenile detention officer in the Leon Regional Juvenile Detention Center before accepting his current position at headquarters in 2011. This is not the first time military service is taking him far from his hometown of Greenville in Madison County. Onazina spent seven years on active duty, serving three years in Germany, a year in Korea and three years in Seattle. He has been awarded the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. Prevention Assistant Secretary Wanda Finnie speaks highly of Onazina, saying, “His passion for the youth we serve has been evident during his short tenure as our outreach coordinator. Now he will carry that same passion abroad as he serves our country with honor and courage.” Onazina is calm and determined about his deployment. He says, “I thank everyone for their support. I’m ready to go. It’s my duty.” Please join me in thanking Onazina for his brave service and wishing him a safe deployment.

PROBATION KUDOS I: Circuit 2 Chief Probation Officer Vicki Cunniff shares a letter of appreciation recently written by a youth to Juvenile Probation Officer (JPO) LaKisha Bush, who has served at DJJ for seven years.

I just want to thank you and the entire JPO office for helping me through my trials and struggles. Your help has not only helped me accept and cope with my situation but it has made me the person I am today. Now I can go into a new chapter of my life without having regrets of failing just because of what the court system has labeled me. This entire situation was a major heartbreak for my victim, family and me, but it has made me stronger and wiser. I have learned a lot of valuable things that will stay with me and be part of me. I really appreciate all the talks we had and the advice you gave me, you were like a second mother to me. If I decide to write a book about my past and present experience everything that you have taught me and showed me would take up half of the book. But this is a letter of appreciation for making me who I am as of right now and I will always walk by faith like you told me the first day you became my JPO. And it shall be my stepping stone every time I take a new step in life.

The words I live by:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change but courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference between the two.”

(Name redacted for confidentiality)

PROBATION KUDOS II: Circuit 12 JPO Supervisor Bill Siedlecki shares the following letter from a parent commending JPO Dawn Hilaire. Dawn has worked for DJJ for 12 years and is the intake JPO for DeSoto County. She works with the State Attorney’s Office, victims and defendants on all new charges. The letter is from a parent of one of the youth in a group who recently had a brush with the law. None of the youth had prior charges and Dawn patiently helped the families understand the juvenile justice process and their options.

I would like to commend your employee, Dawn Hilaire, on her professionalism. My son was recently a witness to an alleged assault. I had the fortune of working with Dawn during the complaint process. Ms. Hilaire was kind, informative and knowledgeable. She helped us to find the best resolution for all parties involved. You should be proud to have someone as compassionate and professional as Ms. Hilaire working in your department.

(Name redacted for confidentiality)

CIRCUIT 7 LEADER: The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week profiled Cheryl Massaro, chair of the Circuit 7 Juvenile Justice Board who also helps oversee the DJJ community garden in Flagler County. Cheryl is an exceptional partner with our agency and we are grateful to her leadership in the community.

YOUTH SUMMIT: On June 25-26, the seventh annual Youth Summit was held in Alachua County for kids on DJJ supervision. Nearly 50 boys and girls attended. The summit was sponsored by DJJ, local law enforcement and other government agencies and civic groups. Gainesville Police Chief Tony Jones and Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell spoke to the youth on consequences they face from the choices they make. DJJ staff supporting the summit included Charlotte McGill, Phil Minafield, Brandon Harris, Evan Douglas, Craig Stone, Robert Scott, Kelli Taylor, Fran Williams, Debbie Pruitt, Annette Dennis, TiAnna Greene, Jack Owens, Jill Wells, and Melanie Kretzman. They were assisted by employees from the Sheriff’s Office, Gainesville Police Department and Teen Court. Circuit Judge William E. Davis approved attendance at the summit as community service hours. Thanks to all who helped ensure the success of this event.

STRENGTHENING SKILLS: To strengthen the skills of direct-care staff, Detention job applicants and current Detention direct-care staff will be evaluated using the Ergometrics IMPACT Assessment and Training tool. Assessment tools like IMPACT have been used widely by other state and local agencies around the country to evaluate and train public-safety job applicants and employees who work with at-risk youth.

The Ergometrics IMPACT tool will help current employees by determining their strengths when interacting with youth. It will reinforce skills in eight behavioral areas. The intent is to ensure DJJ direct-care Detention employees possess the necessary human relations skills to effectively do their jobs. Assessment scores will not be used to terminate or discipline current employees, but to build and strengthen their skills.

For job applicants, the assessment will be used as a screening tool to determine suitability for direct-care positions working with youth in Detention facilities. It will identify applicants for direct-care jobs who are most suitable for working with youth. It also offers a preview of the daily situations Detention officers routinely encounter. This is intended to reduce turnover among applicants who are subsequently hired but did not realize the expectations or nature of the job.

IMPACT by Ergometrics is another example of DJJ’s reform efforts, and this approach will help improve the quality of our workforce, especially those who work directly with children every day. The IMPACT assessment is being administered to Detention job applicants and it will be given to current Detention direct-care employees in the near future. Questions about this initiative should be referred to supervisors or to Divida Schissler at divida.schissler@djj.state.fl.us or 850.414.2495.

DATA KUDOS: Senior Data Analyst Nathan Epps recently assisted Computer Mentors Group, Inc., win a grant of almost $1.5 million to serve former youth offenders ages 18-21 in Hillsborough County. The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOL/ETA) grant will be used to help the young people to earn high school diplomas and industry-recognized credentials through training projects, service learning opportunities and educational interventions. (Click here for details about the grant.) DOL/ETA granted the funds in an extremely competitive process. Bahíyyah Maroon, Ph.D., senior director of Research & Design at the Eripio Institute, who wrote the grant application, thanked Nathan: “I could not have made such a strong case for the program's need without the information you took the time to help me with. Thank you all for your assistance!”

CORRECTION: Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court banned mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole for youth convicted of homicide. My June 29 Weekly Letter incorrectly stated that the ban was for non-homicide crimes.

I hope all employees had a pleasant and safe Independence Day holiday. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, and we should always remember that the freedom we enjoy is safeguarded by volunteer patriots like DJJ’s Onazina Washington. For all who serve our country and state in uniform at home and abroad, thank you for your dedication and sacrifice.

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.