Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in Need of Reform - Staff Fired at Dozier

JUSTICE FOR JUSTIN

I said it's time for change - and change has come!! Though we are only part way there, the firing of these two employees is a good start.

The article states that Justin assaulted an employee earlier that day. It is my understanding this did not happen and that this was part of a set up and cover up by employees. Justin is being represented by attorney, Rick Reno, who will fight for justice for this young man.

The Department of Juvenile Justice in Florida has proven to be a corrupt system in need of very serious reform. Too many children have been abused, neglected, and have died.

The firing of these two employees is a good start - Justice for Justin is the next step. This boy has been locked in this system since he was 12 years old - he is now 18 years old. He should have been released when he was 13 1/2. It is time for this child to go home with his father. (Link to Justin's Blog: http://abuseatdozier.blogspot.com

3 NEWS ARTICLES:

April 14, 2007

Head of school for juveniles loses job: DJJ cites 'systematic' problems at institution

By Stephen D. Price

Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Walt McNeil on Friday fired the acting superintendent and a juvenile justice officer at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna after an investigation into abuse of a youth.

McNeil said the action was a call for a ''change of culture'' at the school.

''There are systemic operational problems at our Dozier facility that span the chain of command from top to bottom,'' McNeil said.

The incident occurred Feb. 11. Justin Caldwell, an 18-year-old at the school, is charged as an adult with battery in an attack on an officer at Dozier School that day.

Later that day, McNeil said in an unrelated incident, Caldwell accused juvenile justice residential officer Alvin Speights of choking him, causing him to hit his head on a table that knocked him unconscious. That incident was caught on a security camera, but McNeil said the faces of other youth not involved had to be obscured before it could be released to the media.

The tape was given to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and could be released early next week, he said.

Last year, DJJ came under fire for delaying release of footage of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson being beaten by guards at the Bay County juvenile boot camp. After being sued by the media, the department eventually released the tape. Anderson died the day after the incident in Bay County and eight employees of the boot camp have pleaded innocent to charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child.

In the Marianna case, Caldwell has been charged as an adult with battery on staff and is being held in the Jackson County Jail. He had been at Dozier for two years on larceny charges.

Speights was in the process of being fired Friday, and charges against him are pending in the ongoing investigation, McNeil said.

Also, in response to the investigation, John Tallon, regional residential services administrator and acting Dozier superintendent, was fired Thursday.

''It is clear we have to act decisively to change the culture of our Dozier facility,'' McNeil said.

Among changes from the agency's investigation:

Rex Uberman, DJJ assistant secretary of residential services, will temporarily move his office from Tallahassee to the Dozier campus to oversee daily operations.

DJJ hired Community Trust, a Tallahassee-based consulting firm that specializes in juvenile justice facility management, to manage daily operations at Dozier.

Isaac Williams, Community Trust CEO, will temporarily serve as acting superintendent at Dozier.

Staff at Dozier School will be trained to use verbal intervention techniques instead of physical contact on misbehaving youth.

All future management reviews involving Dozier youth or staff will be handled by an investigative staff reporting to Uberman.

''We will not accept abuses of any type of our youth,'' McNeil said.
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Published Friday, April 13, 2007

2 juvenile justice employees fired after teen is choked, thrown

By STEPHEN MAJORS
Associated Press Writer


TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
Two Department of Juvenile Justice employees will be fired after an ongoing investigation revealed the use of inappropriate force that knocked an 18-year-old resident unconscious at a Marianna facility, department Secretary Walt McNeil said Friday.

The investigation into the incident has made it clear that the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys has widespread deficiencies, McNeil said. The department has made management changes and hired an independent consulting firm to oversee the facility, which is a high-risk residence currently housing 162 boys from 14 to 21 years of age.

"We recognize that there are systemic operational problems at our Dozier facility that span the chain of command from top to bottom," McNeil said. "It is clear that we have to act decisively to change the culture of our Dozier facility."

On Feb. 11, resident Justin Caldwell was choked and thrown to the floor by Alvin Speights, a residential officer at the Dozier school, McNeil said. On the way down, Caldwell hit his head on a table and was knocked unconscious.

Speights was in the process of being fired Friday, and Dozier's acting superintendent, John Tallon, was fired Thursday, McNeil said.

Caldwell had assaulted a different officer earlier in the day, but McNeil could not say whether Speights' actions were in retaliation for that incident because the investigation is ongoing. Other firings could come after the completion of the investigation.

Caldwell is currently in jail in Jackson County as a result of the earlier incident, McNeil said.

Among the changes that will take place, the department's assistant secretary of residential services will temporarily move his office to the facility to supervise daily operations, McNeil said. Community Trust, a Tallahassee-based consulting firm specializing in juvenile justice facility management, will also oversee daily operations, and its chief executive will become acting superintendent.

Also, the facility's 200 employees will be trained in verbal intervention techniques to replace physical actions against youth who are misbehaving.

McNeil said Friday's announcement was an effort to be transparent about problems at the department.

The department came under scrutiny after 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson died in January 2006, a day after being roughed up by guards at a Panama City boot camp. The Florida Legislature dismantled the military-style boot camps during last year's legislative session.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070413/APN/704132214


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DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE JUSTICE: DJJ fires 2 after choke hold

A guard at a school for troubled boys will be fired for using inappropriate force, along with the school's superintendent.

April 14, 2007
BY STEPHANIE GARRY
sgarry@MiamiHerald.com

TALLAHASSEE -- The Department of Juvenile Justice has fired the head of a school for troubled youths after an investigation concluded that a guard at the Panhandle facility used inappropriate force in February when he choked a teenager, causing him to hit a table and lose consciousness.

DJJ Secretary Walt McNeil told reporters Friday that the superintendent of the state-run Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna had been fired on Thursday and that the guard is also being fired. He cited ''systematic operational problems'' at the school that ``span the chain of command from top to bottom.''

''When the safety and security of any of the youth in our facilities is compromised for any reason, we will act swiftly and decisively to care for those youth,'' McNeil said, urging anyone knowing of abuse in DJJ programs to report it to him.

McNeil said there was no evidence that the youth, Justin Caldwell, provoked the guard, although Caldwell is now in a county jail for committing battery against a different guard earlier that day.

McNeil said the investigation has not yet concluded whether the guard, Alvin Speights, was acting in retaliation. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is reviewing the incident, and Speights may face charges when the investigation ends.

It was the first announcement of abuse in DJJ since Gov. Charlie Crist appointed McNeil in January. The former Tallahassee police chief, who came into the job saying the system was ''broken'' was well-received by critics of DJJ, which has been troubled by the fatal beating of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson last year. The boy's parents are seeking $5 million from the Legislature, and the governor has asked lawmakers to honor the request.

Rex Uberman, the department's assistant secretary of residential services, will move his office from Tallahassee to Dozier to supervise the school, which houses 162 boys ages 14 to 21. DJJ has also hired Community Trust, a consulting firm specializing in juvenile-justice management, to take over daily operations. Trust CEO Isaac Williams will act as superintendent.

The school's 200 employees will be trained in using verbal intervention techniques instead of physical contact, DJJ said.

In 2004, an employee at Dozier was fired after using an improper headlock and failing to report it.

The February incident was captured by the school's video cameras. McNeil said he intended to release the video soon, once witnesses' identities have been concealed.