ARC of South Florida Honors Public Defender Bennett H. Brummer with a Lifetime Achievement Award

Recently, the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) South Florida, which is widely respected for its work with the mentally challenged and individuals with other developmental disabilities, bestowed its highest honor, a Lifetime Achievement Award, on Miami-Dade’s Public Defender Bennett Brummer.

Mark Messer, ARC’s Executive Director stated that, “Bennett is much deserving of our highest recognition for his lifelong dedication, inspirational leadership and never ending commitment to the citizens of Miami-Dade County and especially to individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.”

Mr. Brummer established the first specialized civil mental health unit in a Florida Public Defender’s Office to represent clients who were facing civil commitment due to mental illness, mental retardation or autism. He placed attorneys in that unit on long-term assignments, and on the basis of the attorneys’ particular interest and expertise in mental health law. According to Mr. Brummer, “clients with disabilities may have unique needs, but they deserve the same quality of representation as those accused of criminal offenses.”

Early in Mr. Brummer’s career he assigned professional support staff who could assist attorneys in developing alternative sentences and advocating for clients who have disabilities such as mental retardation, mental illness, substance abuse and co-occurring disorders.

During the 1990's, Mr. Brummer established the Public Defender’s Anti-Violence Initiative, a more formalized version of his holistic approach to traditional criminal defense representation. Its objectives include improving identification, preventing and treating the ills that lead to criminal behavior, increasing reliance on research based and proven treatment programs and increasing awareness in the community of the cost-effectiveness of using scientifically proven programs that work.

In accepting the award, Mr. Brummer expressed appreciation to ARC for its recognition of his accomplishments and acknowledged dedication and hard work of his attorneys and support staff on behalf of indigent mentally challenged clients.