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The world will never know how Eric Perez died

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Ursus:
And... here's an Editorial from the Miami Herald:

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The Miami Herald
Posted on Saturday, 07.23.11

The Miami Herald | EDITORIAL
Call SWAT: Another death in detention
 
OUR OPINION: Get to the bottom of why Eric Perez's torment was ignored

BY THE MIAMI HERALD EDITORIAL
HERALDED@MIAMIHERALD.COM

If, as state Department of Juvenile Justice administrators say, anyone who works at a youth detention facility is authorized to call for emergency help at any time, then why is Eric Perez dead? The public is waiting for the answers from several investigations into the obviously ill teenager's last tortured hours at a West Palm Beach facility.

Indeed, the pain that the 18-year-old endured appeared as agonizing as if guards at the detention center were physically torturing him. But they weren't. Instead they simply, tragically, "failed to call 911," as a letter firing an allegedly derelict detention center supervisor stated. A guard, too, has been fired, and four other employees, including the lockup's superintendent, have been suspended.

Despite the wait for answers about a death that absolutely should not have happened, here's what needs to happen immediately: The Department of Juvenile Justice must prove to the public that policies are in place — and that employees are committed to carrying them out — to ensure the safety and security of children and teens in state care. Second, it's imperative that DJJ create community task forces to evaluate and review everything from the detention policies to the condition of brick-and-mortar facilities to ensure that these troubled youths are being treated humanely and with a goal of making sure they don't return.

And in the case of Eric Perez, a veritable SWAT team of advocates must be drawn in quickly.

This means delivering to the community a level of transparency that too often is missing in public agencies. In light of young Eric's death, building roadblocks and hurdles to the truth is unacceptable.

Unfortunately, South Florida has seen this tragedy before — and heard vows that it will never happen again. Eight years ago, Omar Paisley, 17 and held in a detention center in Miami-Dade, writhed in unfathomable pain for three days — three days — from a ruptured appendix. No one called for help, one nurse insisted he was faking. (That nurse, by the way, pleaded guilty to culpable negligence after Omar died.)

There was outrage, and then reforms — or so we thought. Among them, anyone, from janitor to supervisor was authorized to call 911 in an emergency, something employees hadn't been allowed to do.

DJJ's current chief, Wansley Walters, says that this policy remains in force and that detention center employees are frequently reminded through training sessions and posters. If that's the case, then other policies must be reviewed in order to drive home the point.

For instance, one guard said that he desperately wanted to call 911 to come help Eric (there are no nurses on duty at night or weekends — another situation that warrants attention). However, the supervisor would not allow it. The guard says, too, that he was prepared to defy that misbegotten order, but couldn't leave his post to go to a phone — and had no cell phone on him because they are not allowed in the lockup. What's the sense behind the no-cellphone rule after what happened?

In his brief life, Eric Perez made some mistakes, as have the other youths who end up in detention. Officers stopped him because his bicycle didn't have a night light. They found a small amount of marijuana on him. This was a probation violation from a former robbery charge.

That's how he ended up in detention. But he should not have ended up dead. Get to the bottom of this, and make sure that it never, ever happens again.


Copyright 2011 Miami Herald Media Co.

Ursus:
Comments left for the above Editorial, "Call SWAT: Another death in detention" (by The Miami Herald Editorial, 07.23.11, Miami Herald):


onebaud · Yesterday 05:14 AM
Let me get to the bottom of this for you. People are cruel and studies have shown that people in total control of you, like jail guards, are especially cruel. In other words, to be inhuman is to be human. Don't ever let yourself get in that helpless position. Stay out of jail.TrujilloPatty · Yesterday 12:38 PM
As a mother, in my personal experience, nobody cares about our children when they are in detention.  They refused to allow me to bring the medications my child had been on for years to the jail.  When I asked them to have the jail doctor to prescribe them for him, they called me back to tell me their doctor said he didn't need them. When I asked that his doctor be allowed to visit him, they refused to put him on the visitor list.

As a nurse, I can tell you that the law may say that any employee may call 911, but anyone who does so without permission is punishedon his next evaluation.  The general mindset of the nurses, doctors, supervisors and guards is that the child will do anything to get out, especially pretend to be sick. The doctor is rarely in the facility, leaving the decisions to the nurse. The nurse is afraid to make a command decision, because she works for a private company whose only agenda is to make a profit; and trips to the hospital cost money.  The child is caught in the middle of all this and loses valuable time when he could be receiving needed emergency care.

Copyright 2011 Miami Herald Media Co.

Ursus:
And... here's another Editorial from the Miami Herald:

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The Miami Herald
Posted on Tuesday, 07.26.11

The Miami Herald | EDITORIAL
Transparency? Not so much
 
OUR OPINION: Floridians kept in the dark in recent death cases

BY THE MIAMI HERALD EDITORIAL
HERALDED@MIAMIHERALD.COM

When 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson died after a beating at a notorious Florida boot camp for wayward youth, the state's public records law allowed release of the tape showing what happened — all in the public interest. The public outcry was such that state-sanctioned boot camps were shut down.

What can Floridians learn about their taxpayer-financed programs aimed at helping troubled juveniles straighten up? The case of Eric Perez, who died at a West Palm Beach lockup for juveniles, warrants that transparency. Why did Eric die? Why wasn't a doctor or nurse alerted immediately when the painfully ill youth cried out for help?

For that matter, what can Florida taxpayers learn to improve the state's foster care and adoption programs after the death of Nubia Barahona? Right now Nubia's twin brother, Victor, and two other children adopted by Jorge and Carmen Barahona — the Miami-Dade couple accused of torturing Nubia until she died — are in dependency hearings so that a court can determine where they will live and with whom.

In both those cases Floridians have been left in the dark. Which raises the question: What is the government trying to hide? This isn't China or Cuba. So why the secrecy?

In June, Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a bill that exempts from Florida's public records law any photos or video or audio tapes depicting a death. Only a victim's immediate family can have access to the material. But even then public agencies like the Department of Juvenile Justice can delay releasing the tape of Eric's stay at a taxpayer-funded facility on grounds there's an ongoing "investigation."

Last week, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Maria Sampedro-Iglesia decided to close to the public the dependency court hearings for the Barahona children. The judge ignored the public's quest for transparency and sided with the Guardian ad Litem program, which advocates for children in court. The problem is the ad Litem program was among the agencies facing scrutiny for Nubia's death because the child "advocates" didn't seem to see the warning signs of abuse despite numerous calls over the years to the abuse hotline raising concerns about the Barahonas.

Both cases cry out for justice. The public's right to know can be balanced with privacy rights. Journalists protect minors' names in many cases, for instance. But when young people die in state-sanctioned care, there's no legitimate reason for the state to hide in the dark.


Copyright 2011 Miami Herald Media Co.

Ursus:
Comments left for the above Editorial, "Transparency? Not so much" (by The Miami Herald Editorial, 07.26.11, Miami Herald):


michael wind · 07/27/2011 09:36 PM
florida is worse than china or cuba or even former soviet union just ask herald reporters from cuba or soviet union,there is much more corruption here.Lynsu · 07/28/2011 03:22 AM
Rick Scott is  the devil

Copyright 2011 Miami Herald Media Co.

Ursus:
Geeezz. Governor Rick Scott adds his two cents:

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The Miami Herald — Other Views
Posted on Tuesday, 07.26.11

FLORIDA
Reform underway at juvenile justice agency
 
BY GOV. RICK SCOTT
http://www.flgov.com

Like all Floridians, I was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of a child in the Palm Beach County Juvenile Detention Center. More than saddened though, I take Eric Perez's death personally. It's a sobering reminder of the urgent need for comprehensive juvenile-justice reform in Florida. Investigations into his death continue, and we won't rest until every unresolved question about it is answered.

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) manages more than 120,000 juvenile delinquency cases each year. On any given day, we have more than 5,000 children in secure custody — more than 1,000 of whom are in facilities like the one where Eric spent the last days of his young life. Those numbers are far too high.

Since I appointed Wansley Walters earlier this year to lead DJJ, her agency has launched a statewide reform effort that will enhance public safety, conserve scarce resources and improve youth outcomes. As the former head of Miami-Dade's Juvenile Services Department, Secretary Walters spearheaded cost-effective reforms that were recognized internationally. As a result, Miami not only has the lowest juvenile incarceration rate in the state, but also boasts one of Florida's lowest juvenile crime rates.

Each element of DJJ's reform initiative is critical to ensure that youth receive the right combination of services and sanctions, in the right place at the right time.

• Diversion. The expansion of civil citation and other innovative diversion practices will stem the flow of first-time misdemeanant youth into the system. Historically, Florida has spent millions of dollars on interventions for low-risk youth who would probably never re-offend.

• Detention reform. Statewide detention reform, including the development of real alternatives to detention, will fuel continued reductions in unnecessary and inappropriate detention. Reduced detention over the past five years allowed DJJ to close hundreds of beds, yielding a cost-savings of more than $25 million.

• Right-sizing residential care. The past five years have also revealed significant inefficiencies at the deep end of Florida's juvenile justice system, with far too many low-risk youth confined in expensive residential institutions. They consume scarce resources that could instead be invested in community-based sanctions that hold youth accountable, protect public safety, create jobs and promote healthy futures for children. Community-based sanctions are more effective at reducing juvenile crime and cost much less than correctional institutions.

These three aspects of juvenile justice reform are urgently needed, now more than ever. We cannot afford the financial or the societal costs of unnecessary juvenile incarceration. By shifting our focus — and our investments — to the front end of the system, we will save not only money, but also lives.

Rick Scott was elected governor of Florida in 2010.


Copyright 2011 Miami Herald Media Co.

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