Florida's Department of Juvenile
Justice finds tours of Palm Beach County's
juvenile detention center and interviews of
staff as part of a court-ordered investigation
"burdensome and purposeless." DJJ this week
asked county juvenile Judge Peter Blanc "to
protect it from harassment and unnecessary
inconvenience" by ending "what is at best a
fishing expedition." Judge Blanc correctly
responded with an emphatic no.
Of course DJJ finds the investigation
burdensome. The agency often finds doing its job
burdensome. The state finds the 97 teens at the
center (four over capacity) such a burden that
the agency is content to warehouse them for
months at a time without providing adequate
mental health, substance abuse, medical and
educational services. The state finds the
troubled teens such a burden that it refuses to
pay the $4.7 million-a-year cost for the center,
dumping that expense on the county. The state
finds the teens such a burden that lawmakers are
planning to turn the center over to a private
contractor by 2007, if one will guarantee a
$100,000 annual savings.
DJJ's opposition to the investigation Judge
Blanc ordered in February has been typically
dismissive. But the agency stepped up its
arrogance by accusing Judge Blanc of having an
ulterior motive in assigning the Legal Aid
Society's Juvenile Advocacy Project to review
alleged "cruel and unusual punishment."
In fact, it is cruel and counterproductive to
hold teens without needed dental treatment and,
for nearly six months, without needed
substance-abuse treatment, as DJJ did with a
15-year-old - until Judge Blanc's order
expedited the placement of that teen and three
others. The excessive delays continue. One
17-year-old girl, in detention since Jan. 6, is
not expected to be placed in a substance-abuse
and mental-health treatment center until May 26,
according to a DJJ spokeswoman. Another, before
Judge Blanc last week, won't be placed until
October.
Legislation approved by two House committees
would authorize judges in three circuits to
select treatment programs for delinquent
juveniles, shifting the focus from money and
program space to the juvenile's needs. House
Bill 7169 also would authorize judges to require
of DJJ the exact information - including
treatment options - that the agency has been
reluctant to provide to Judge Blanc.
Unfortunately, Palm Beach County (15th Circuit)
is not included in the pilot with Escambia,
Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Miami-Dade and
Hillsborough counties.
Juvenile judges must ensure the safety and
well-being of troubled children and the
public. Approving HB 7169 would remind DJJ of
its duty to help. The state should unburden DJJ
of employees who don't agree.
