Former DJJ Commissioner: “Shock Incarceration" Ineffective, Expensive

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Just over a decade ago former Juvenile Justice Commissioner Orlando Martinez, 70, was the highest-ranking Latino in state government. He resigned abruptly from his post in 2003 amid fallout over his decision to close a troubled Augusta youth prison. Now the Founder and Senior Partner of the Atlanta-based consulting firm, Martinez Tjaden, LLP keeps plenty busy consulting in both the public and private systems nationwide. In the second installation of a two-part interview series, he talks to JJIE.org’s Chandra R. Thomas about racial disparities in the criminal justice system, the impact of state budget cuts and what Georgia is doing right. What’s lacking from Georgia’s current system?

Security Boost for Fulton Courthouse

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Fulton County will finally get the $5.4 million slated to improve security at the county’s Juvenile Court and to create a security command center in the Fulton Court Complex, according to the Superior Court of Fulton County. As reported here at JJIE.org last week, the money was almost redirected causing the Fulton County Commissioners to postpone the vote.  Wednesday’s 5-2 vote reinstated the funds and ended two weeks of negotiations between the county and judicial leaders. A federal panel recommended these security improvements in 2006 following Brian Nichols’ shooting spree in which he killed four people, including a judge. To read the full report and to follow Fulton County’s Superior Court blog, click here.

Teens Arrested for Gwinnett County Shooting

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A 16-year-old was arrested in Gwinnett County last week for allegedly shooting another 16-year-old in the chest, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  The District Attorney’s Office hopes to try him as an adult, which could result in a 20-year prison sentence. Two other teens, ages 17 and 18, were arrested this week in connection with the shooting.  The Gwinnett Daily Post (GDP) reveals that the older suspect is enrolled as a senior at Hooper Renwick School while the 17-year-old is enrolled in 8th grade at Grace Snell Middle School.  The latter has not attended school all year, a Gwinnett Public Schools spokesperson told the GDP. The three suspects are suspected to be involved in gang activity. "...Arrest warrants show [the 18-year-old] admitted to having a 'captain' rank in whatever gang set he claims," said the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Former DJJ Commissioner: Stop “Wholesale Incarceration of Kids”

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Georgia’s former Juvenile Justice Commissioner has a lot to say about the state of the system. Orlando Martinez was once credited with helping to address what a federal report called "egregious" conditions in the state's juvenile detention system, but he resigned abruptly from his post in 2003 amid fallout over his decision to close a troubled Augusta youth prison. Although he no longer serves in an official capacity in Georgia, Martinez still calls the state home and he keeps a close eye on the system. In part one of a two-part series, he spoke to JJIE.org’s Chandra R. Thomas about all things juvenile justice in Georgia, including concerns about rampant racial disparities and the need for better mental health treatment. It’s a broad question, but how do you think Georgia is doing in general in the area of juvenile justice?

Threatening Letters Keep Teen Killer in Prison

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At 13-years-old, Billy Ray White was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 10 years for armed robbery, theft of a motor vehicle and the murder of J.D. Hall in Douglasville, GA.  Four years later, White wrote threatening letters to Hall’s family.  Now, 15 years later, they are fighting his possible release.  CNN’s Emanuella Grinberg reports. In a handwritten letter to J.D. Hall’s daughter, the convicted killer promised to carve her up like a turkey and make her head into a flower pot.  In another letter to Hall’s son, he said he would put him through a meat grinder and force his relatives to eat him. You can run but you can’t hide.  You can go to the police, but they can’t protect you.  You can change your name, address, or even move, but I will always find you,” he wrote in a letter postmarked May 15, 1989.  “They can’t keep me in here for the rest of my life.”
White has admitted to writing the letters and that they were a “stupid thing.”  His sister stands up for him, saying that he was the product of alcoholic parents who neglected and abused him, and that he deserves a chance to prove he's changed

The Georgia Parole Board has refused to release him six times, the last time in June.  He comes up for parole again in April. Click here for Grinberg’s full story.

Teen Faces Child Porn Charges

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A 17-year-old boy was arrested in Milton for 10 counts of sexual exploitation of minors, according to a WSB-TV report. Child pornography was downloaded onto an IP address in Milton and detected by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit.  The Special Victims Unit then alerted the Milton Police Department, the report states. The children in the movies ranged from ages 5 to 13 years old, according to Detective S.W. Hewitt of the Milton Police Department. Read the full story here.

Agencies Collaborate To Help Child Immigrants

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Collaboration -- how social service agencies and non-profits can do it more effectively -- was the prevailing theme Thursday at a U.S. Immigration Services (USIS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hosted training seminar aimed at helping to better protect endangered immigrant children. Georgia Division of Family Services employees, immigrant children advocates, social workers, community volunteers and others who work with immigrant children, came together for the three-hour session held at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services offices near Northlake Mall. Organizers say the objective was to bring together representatives from local, state and federal agencies, along with non-profit organizations, to provide information and technical assistance. The goal was to inform staffers how to identify and assist abused documented and undocumented immigrant children who are victimized, neglected or abandoned. “It was an idea that was brought to us by DFACS (Department of Children And Family Services),” explains USIS District Director Denise Frazier.

Teen Sex Crime Splits Community

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Two 13-year-old boys face adult charges for allegedly forcing three young girls to perform sexual acts in Augusta, according WRDW-TV News 12. As the TV station reports, the girls, ages 7, 9 and 12, claim they were lured behind a vacant building and forced to perform oral sex.  The crime was reported by one of the girls’ parents who overheard the girls talking about it. The boys claim the actions were consensual, but under Georgia law, no child that young can consent.  They are being charged as adults and could spend ten to 30 years in prison if convicted. This issue is splitting the community and drawing heated comments.  Here’s a sample:

“Whether [you] like it or not, the boys [were] probably given consent…Unfortunately 13 is not a "consensual age.”

“It would never have been an issue whether the girls consented or not if the parents kept a closer eye on the children.”

To read more, click here.

Courthouse Security Plan in Danger

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A $6 million plan to beef up security at the Fulton County Courthouse is in jeopardy.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the county commission is considering redirecting that money to other projects and will talk about the issue at their next meeting on August 18. Five years ago, Brian Nichols went on a shooting rampage at the courthouse, killing four people, including a judge.  The enhanced security plan was recommended by a federal panel that reviewed the tragedy. Some county commissioners would now prefer to spend the money on stimulus projects, including a museum for the Tuskegee Airmen, better security at bus stops, and transportation for senior citizens.

Complaint Forces Judge to Resign

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Judge Kenneth O. Nix, Chief Judge of Cobb County Superior Court, is resigning amid allegations that he innappropriately touched two courthouse workers.   Nix, who turns 71 on  Oct. 4, will step down on his birthday.  He tells the Marietta Daily Journal that it's all a misunderstanding.  The veteran judge posed for a photo with two women sitting on his lap,  The MDJ has the photo, and explains what happened next.