Mar 29, 2013

Dear DJJ team members:

Welcome to my weekly letter. I am pleased to share the following news and announcements.

The Miami-Dade Youth Commission and Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department staff visited DJJ on March 26.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: This was a short week in the legislature with legislative meetings being held only on Wednesday and Thursday. SB 676 by Sen. Greg Evers & HB 617by Rep. Ray Pilon -- Juvenile Justice Circuit Advisory Boards and Juvenile Justice County Councils passed the Senate Judiciary and House Local and Federal Affairs committees, respectively, on March 27. SB 676/HB617 streamlines the current system, which consists of 87 boards and councils, into 20 Circuit Advisory Boards representing each judicial circuit and county in the state. The bill puts Florida’s families first by providing a stronger voice for counties and local communities in juvenile justice related issues, encouraging greater collaboration at the local level, and strengthening community-based partnerships. Thanks to Sen. Evers and Rep. Pilon for their leadership on this important issue.

Next week is the fifth week of the legislative session and will be a full week of committee meetings. On Tuesday and Thursday, HB 4019, Youth Custody Officers and Jail Tours, by Rep. Gayle Harrell will be heard by the full body on the House floor. If it passes it will be sent to the Senate.

CONGRATULATIONS: I was honored to speak at the juvenile probation officer (JPO) graduation today in Tallahassee. The JPOs, pictured below, will work with youth in the city listed next to their names.

Pictured from left to right Top row: Christopher Daniels (Tallahassee),
Joy Graydon (Jacksonville), Jared Stanley (Titusville), Melanie Phelps (New Port Richey),
Alfredo Semper (Orlando)

Second row: John Clark (Miami), Frank Grant (Lake Park), Derrell Steven (Pine Hills),
Jesus Tarajano (Miami), Erin Holaday (Melbourne)

Third row: Latonia Taylor (Jacksonville), Elaine Austin (Ft. Lauderdale),
Shannon McCourt (Orlando), Calvin Ponds (Pine Hills), Olufemi Sodipo (Port St. Lucie)

Fourth row: Veronica Soto (Orlando), Alyssa Novak (Green Cove Springs), Minnora Bishop - trainer, Shaakiera Thompson (Miami), Gloria Acosta (Kissimmee)

Bottom row: Eddie White (Bartow), Joseph Merritt (Jacksonville),
Michelle Simon (New Port Richey), Brandon Harper (Miami)

JPOs provide a formal recommendation for each youth arrested and advise the court regarding appropriate sanctions and services. They work with youth in judicial circuits throughout Florida at every point in the juvenile justice continuum, from initial intake screening through the supervision of services. JPOs ensure youth comply with court requirements and assist teens and their families in accessing services, such as counseling and skills development, which support their success in building a brighter future.

Intensive training must be mastered for an officer candidate to achieve certification as a professional juvenile probation officer and maintain eligibility for employment. Officers must successfully complete 196 hours of training that includes trauma-informed care, Motivational Interviewing, restorative justice, gang awareness, overview of mental health disorders, substance abuse, screening/assessment instruments, verbal and physical de-escalation techniques, treatment plan development/evaluation, case management, evidence based practices and other skill areas. Successful completion of the training is required due to the demands and highly sensitive nature of working with DJJ youth.

The followingteam members graduated today from basic officer training at Broward College in Ft. Lauderdale. They completed 240 hours of training to become certified as juvenile justice detention officers and will work in the state-run regional juvenile detention facility (RJDC) following their names.

Joshua P. Burgess (Broward RJDC - Ft. Lauderdale, Broward County)

Marcelle A. Dolisca (Palm Beach RJDC - West Palm, Palm Beach County)

Rafael D. Gray (Miami-Dade RJDC - Miami, Miami – Dade County)

Kalum K. Harris (Broward RJDC - Ft. Lauderdale, Broward County)

Khariel Livingston (Broward RJDC - Ft. Lauderdale, Broward County)

Dorvin Mitchell (Palm Beach RJDC - West Palm, Palm Beach County)

Roberta Pottinger (Broward RJDC - Ft. Lauderdale, Broward County)

Emmanuel Previl (Broward RJDC - Ft. Lauderdale, Broward County)

Marshae T. Solomon (Palm Beach RJDC - West Palm, Palm Beach County)

Kizzy Thomas (Miami-Dade RJDC Miami, Miami – Dade County)

William Valverde (Miami-Dade RJDC - Miami, Miami – Dade County)

Joshua Washington (Miami-Dade RJDC - Miami, Miami – Dade County)

Please join me in congratulating all the graduates!

EMPLOYEES VOLUNTEER IN DETENTION: Kudos to Kimberly Sisko Ward, Cody Wood and Sherry Jackson for galvanizing an employee volunteer service effort to finish painting murals on the walls of the Leon Regional Juvenile Detention Center (RJDC). Leon RJDC Superintendent Cody Wood had already led his staff in painting murals in the youth areas, and volunteers completed the project with murals in the common areas of the facility. I joined more than a dozen DJJ employees on March 23 as we painted images of fruit plants and trees on the cafeteria walls and hallways, and big butterflies in the clinic. Sherry, who works in the Bureau of Research and Planning, started the volunteer effort after reviewing research that suggests the environment in which juvenile offenders are confined can affect their future behavior and lower their chances of further incarceration.

Murals at regional detention centers around the state have been warmly received by youth and staff alike. They “soften” the facility environment, creating a calmer, safer, less traumatizing setting, and are advocated as a trauma-informed care best practice. Cheerful, friendly paintings on the walls can be soothing to youth who are agitated and scared, making them more amenable to rehabilitation and intervention efforts. The murals help remind all who enter that the residents are kids.

Sherry said, “My part in this was simply to think, after a visit to Leon Detention, that we could leverage the large potential pool of volunteers at (DJJ) headquarters.”

Sherry consulted with attorney Kim Ward, an assistant general counsel for the agency, about requirements for performing volunteer service, and Kim decided to volunteer as well. Kim was immediately asked to organize the service project. She dedicated many hours of personal time to planning and preparing for the event, and she personally sketched the images onto the walls for the volunteers to paint. Kim regularly volunteers with youth, and has even taught Zumba fitness classes to girls in detention and residential facilities. “They are still kids,” she says simply. “Though they are temporarily placed in a secure facility to ensure public safety, we need to remember they are young and vulnerable.”

Thanks to all the employee-volunteers, especially Kim, Cody and Sherry, and to Tom Flanigan of WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio and Margie Menzel of the News Service of Florida, who very generously picked up a brush and pitched in when they came to cover the event as reporters. Your dedication to the youth in DJJ care and your cooperative, can-do attitude are deeply appreciated! (Click here to listen to Tom’s radio segment from the March 25 Capital Report on the event.)

From left: Mark Greenwald, Tom Flanigan (WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio Network),Cody Wood, Wanda Finnie, Marc Kippur, Sherry Jackson, Margie Menzel (Florida News Service), me, Charlie O'Toole, Samadhi Jones (kneeling), Juliette Westmoreland, Meghan Speakes Collins, and Kimberly Ward, standing before part of a mural as we paint in the cafeteria. To view all of the pictures from the day, visit our Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/FlaDJJ
.

PREVENTION KUDOS: On March 14, 2013, staff from the Office of Prevention participated in a career fair at the Ghazvini Learning Center in Tallahassee. Students of Ghazvini Success Academy are academically challenged, and Ghazvini Second Chance Academy is for students who have been referred by DJJ probation officers. Team members Brittany Claybrooks, a junior healthcare management student at Florida A&M University; Fredrick Wilkerson, who studies criminal justice at Tallahassee Community College; and outreach liaison Shaunta Pelham shared advice with the middle and high school students. They discussed professionalism and emphasized the importance of developing the self-control needed to rise to academic success. Thanks also to the JPOs who attended the event.

RESIDENTIAL KUDOS: As part of DJJ efforts to maintain a culture of continual improvement, residential program monitors participated in a three-day training/retreat at the Florida Public Safety Institute this week. Topics included the assessment of gender responsiveness in residential programs, safety and security, documentation requirements for the CCC (Central Communications Center) reports and program reviews, an overview of the Juvenile Justice System Improvement Project (Georgetown JJSIP), and service documentation training. Special thanks to Rick Bodnar from the Office of the Inspector General, Ramona Salazar, Johnny Richardson and Tommy Fawcett from Residential Services, and Michael Baglivio, Ph.D. from Research and Planning for sharing your time and expertise!

PROBATION KUDOS: Juvenile probation officers and staff across the state participated in many notable activities this week.

Circuit 6: On March 23, JPOs in Pasco County teamed up with community service providers for an Easter Egg “Eggstravaganza!” The JPOs worked in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of West Pasco, the Healthy Start Coalition, and Staywell Kids to provide kids in the local community with a safe environment in which to have fun and celebrate Spring with games, candy, eggs, and some very nice giveaways. Probationary youth assisted with and attended the event, allowing them the opportunity to positively contribute to and interact in the community.

Circuit 16: On March 25, staff teamed up with “A Positive Step of Monroe,” the local Redirections provider, to paint dumpsters for area businesses. DJJ, Redirections staff, and youth got together at a local marina to work on this project. Youth on probation were given this opportunity to perform community service hours and money raised was donated to the Idle Hands Program, which is a youth summer job program.

Circuit 20: Nine probationary youths participated a graffiti clean-up/paint project in partnership with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on March 27. They received community service hours for their work. Thanks to Unit 302 for organizing the event!

HUMAN TRAFFICKING UPDATE: On March 26, the Broward Juvenile Assessment Center served as the meeting site for a roundtable discussion between the Broward Human Trafficking Coalition (BHTC), anti-human trafficking activists from the country Azerbaijan, and local human trafficking experts. The BHTC, which has been recognized as a model for combating human trafficking, was chosen by the U.S. Department of State to participate in a project titled, "Combatting Trafficking in Persons." Six anti-human trafficking activists from Azerbaijan visited the BHTC, courtesy of the U.S. Department of State, to discuss the organization’s mission and programs to improve assistance for victims. Local anti-human trafficking experts and BHTC members participated in a roundtable discussion about efforts to fight human trafficking, initiatives to increase public awareness and assistance for trafficking victims. The Azerbaijan government does not have a juvenile justice system, so the group was very interested in learning how DJJ works with youth. The group toured the local juvenile assessment center and spoke with the local juvenile justice stakeholders. Thanks to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office for assisting in hosting the roundtable, and to Circuit 17 Chief Probation Officer Cassandra Evans, who answered several questions on the DJJ service continuum and the role our agency has in human trafficking matters.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Supervisors are required to conduct annual performance evaluations for the period ending March 31, 2013, for their direct reports (excluding OPS), beginning April 1, 2013. In accordance with 60L-35.003 (b), you have 60 days or until June 1, 2013, to complete the performance evaluation. This evaluation will be based on our four current core standards in addition to any job specific expectations that were set at the beginning of the rating period. In order to prepare for the new performance management process, we will have an interim rating period from April 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. For this period, DJJ will have six core performance expectations that will apply to all employees, with the exception of OPS. Supervisors should develop additional expectations based on the specific job duties of the employee. The Performance Planning & Evaluation Form with the new six core performance expectations is in the Forms Library under Personnel. All completed evaluations are to be submitted to the Bureau of Personnel by June 30, 2013. Supervisors, please note that you will no longer enter the employee performance ratings and the next evaluation due date (December 31, 2013) into the People First system; this task will be completed by the Bureau of Personnel. For additional information regarding the performance evaluation process, please access Rater's Guide, which includes common questions and answers, or contact Sylvia Baker at Sylvia.Baker@DJJ.state.fl.us or (850) 717-2652, or Catherine Chandler at Catherine.Chandler@DJJ.state.fl.us or (850) 717-2648.

ARTIST AT DJJ: During our painting day at Leon RJDC, I was especially impressed by the skill of one of our employee-volunteers, Ms. Charlie O’Toole, who works in the Bureau of Research and Planning. It turns out Charlie is quite an accomplished artist, and her piece, “Iris” has been selected by the COCA Art Advisory Committee to be exhibited in the 2013 Creative Tallahassee Juried Art Exhibition, showing now through April 29 at the City Hall Gallery in Tallahassee. According to Charlie, the competition was steep as there were more than 175 individual artworks submitted this year by 65 artists. Please join me in wishing her good luck in the competition!

“Iris,” by DJJ employee Charlie O’Toole

This season of renewal and rebirth gives all of us much to celebrate as we continue our efforts to reform juvenile justice. I wish everyone a happy Good Friday, Easter and Passover!

Sincerely,

Wansley Walters

Secretary

PS: Please send any noteworthy or newsworthy items for consideration in my weekly letter to the Communications Office at News@djj.state.fl.us or call 850.921.5900. Submissions are considered on a space-available basis and may be edited for clarity and length. Thank you for your cooperation.