Juvenile Justice CPR

Juvenile Justice CPR
(Charting a Path to Redemption)

In 2007, Carlos Martinez launched a new initiative named Juvenile Justice CPR (Charting a Path to Redemption). Juvenile Justice CPR incorporates all of the juvenile justice reform efforts that the public defender’s office has been championing plus concrete proposals for helping our kids succeed. These include:

reducing the long- and short-term consequences of a juvenile arrest;
reducing the harmful effects on children processed through the juvenile court system; (such as shackling them in court)
increasing confidentiality and privacy protections for children and their families;
demanding the use of evidence-based best practices at all Department of Juvenile Justice programs; and,
developing alternatives to the prosecution of children under 12 years of age and those with developmental disabilities.

Carlos believes that it takes more than amending a law or winning a lawsuit to have real lasting reform. He believes that everyone should be educated about the impact of current laws on young people and their families. To that end, Carlos has taken the initiative in forging innovative alliances to help children. He worked with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools and its police chief. Hoping to persuade officers to consider disciplinary alternatives to arrest, he conducted discussions with schools’ police officers regarding the consequences of an arrest.

Several years ago, Carlos obtained funding for a social worker to work with students at the Youth Leadership Academy in Liberty City, a first-in-the-nation grant from a Weed and Seed program to a public defender’s office. Carlos has educated other attorneys, judges, parents, kids, teachers, legislators and elected officials regarding juvenile justice issues affecting their communities. Carlos created Play it Smart and The Consequences Aren’t Minor, two educational prevention programs that have been well-received by adults and children alike, to teach young people to interact effectively with police officers and teachers, and the consequences of an arrest.

One of Carlos’ key goals has been to reform Florida law so that our kids have a better chance to become productive, law-abiding adults. As Public Defender, Carlos will continue to work hard for our kids and to seek legal reforms designed to provide a better future for our children.

Juvenile Justice CPR supports the work of the Blue Print Commission on Juvenile Justice which was formed by Gov. Charlie Crist and Department of Juvenile Justice Walt McNeil to formulate reforms for Florida’s juvenile justice system.

	Helping At Risk Youth