Goodwill and the Juvenile Justice Department

People everyday are talking about how to change this country. They are debating which Presidential candidate to vote for come November, based on who can fix America’s ailing problems. But what people all over the country and even here in the Tampa Bay Area don’t realize is that the true future of America and the country’s foundation is our youth.
In Hillsborough County at the Juvenile Justice meeting on September 19, 2008, a group of citizens and board members gathered to discuss ways to help the county’s kids achieve success and stay out of trouble. In tough economic times it is very easy to worry about one’s self first, how to put food on the table, how to fill up the gas tank, but Stephanie Anna, a representative from goodwill laid out a plan to help struggling families not forget or ignore their children.
Goodwill has a program in tact for the areas troubled youth that focuses on three areas that include providing employment skills, increasing academic performance, and providing industry specific training. “The goodwill role in the project, we have case managers, we have counselors, and we have staff that go out specifically and engage employers because without employers this project can’t succeed,” says Anna.
From a parents point of view, submerging their children in these programs cost time and money, but the origination did consider that as well and they will provide financial assistance. Anna assures the group, “We pay for transportation, training, support. If they want to go to college we can help pay tuition costs. If they need appropriate interview clothes, work boots, things like that, we can pay for all of that.
Goodwill wants to keep kids engaged in the program so they offer them incentives. After they complete certain components of the program they are often awarded with cash to keep them coming back. What they don’t know is that they are given a much bigger reward, a second chance.
For a child to qualify for this goodwill funded project, they must be between the ages 16 and 21 and they much have a Department of Juvenile Justice background. But just because a kid started down the wrong path does not mean that he cannot turn around. One of the first steps the organization takes is to enroll the participant in job ready classes. The Boys and Girls club of America developed content to guide a three week program. It will teach the child everything from how to properly shake hands with an employer to how to correctly write a resume. “It’s a great program. It’s a building block for us. It’s the beginning, and it really sets the tone for the entire project,” urges Anna.
Stephanie Anna than provided proof. Jamal dropped out of high school in the tenth grade but his education level was significantly below that of a tenth grader. But after participating in Project Bridge, Jamal is now enrolled in college. Goodwill helped him graduate high school and taught him to drive a car. He completed an internship and was even offered a full time job. Anna said she ran into Jamal this morning and said “actually, he is happy.” That is what our country needs.
While the economy seems to be crumbling around us, it is imperative to help our youth. Once a child starts heading in the wrong direction, it is vital to intervene and give them the guidance they need to become an asset to the community and the country as a whole.

William March

William March, chief political reporter for the Tampa Tribune took us though the process to investigating public officials and documents. He gave us an array of websites to use to find profiles on certain people, and different reports to obtain information.

He spoke a lot about campaign contributions which I found very interesting. There is a limit on the amount of money a company can contribute to a certain candidate, but there are ways that sneaky and surreptitious company heads can get around that. The example Mr. March gave us was that the big boss might give a hundred employees a $1000 raise, but then they would turn around and say…well I am expecting to see a thousand dollar contribution to so and so’s campaign. So in reality the money is coming from the same place. We learned that in this case the employeers were not peanilized which I think is a good thing. With the economy the way it is today, people are desperate to hold onto their jobs. So if their boss says hey do this, it is ok, they are going to do it to prevent losing the position they hold.

I was also intrigued when Mr. March asked how many people think there should be a limit placed on the amount of money one can contribute to a single candidate. Most of the class thought there should but one guy said otherwise, and I really liked his argument.

He said that with the ease of access for public records and campaign contributions, it is very easy to spot something unusual. As Journalism students we should pounce on that, It would be pretty easy to determine which companies are getting some sort of kickback from the candidate or the party.

I really enjoyed listening to William March speak about political reporting because it is an area that I do not know a lot about. It was also very cool that the next day when I was reading the Tampa Tribune, I read a few of his articles about the 2008 presidential race.

County Clerk

Listening to Pat Frank speak to our Journalism class was an enlightening experience. The county clerk is responsible for a lot more than I though, honestly I didn’t really know whatthe county clerk does.

When I first walked in and saw this tiny elder woman at the head of the table, I was a little surprised. I was ever more surprised when I realized how much command she had over everyone in the room that was listening. She is very educated and committed to her job. It was actually refreshing and inspirational to see a woman her age inflicting so much change for the better. The best part is that she was just re-elected. I really loved the fact that Ms. Frank was completely in the loop with technology. My grandmother hates technology. She does not own a cell phone, has no idea how to use a computer and still owns her first black and white television set with the antenna. So listening to Ms. Frank talk about digitizing every court document was astonishing. I think she knows more about the computer age than I do, and I work with it everyday.

I also learned a lot about the court house. I know this is a silly thing to remember, but I always knew weddings were expensive…but I also thought is you got married in city hall or eloped, than it was, well, free. So I was a little shocked to find out that is cost close to $100 for a marriage certificate.

When Ms. Frank spoke about the economy and how it related to her particular field, I think I realized for the first time that no company or organization, even governmental ones are exempt from the distress. The e-recording process is taking quite a bit of time because there are a ton of documents and someone needs to be paid to digitize them. Also the economic crisis seems to be creating more and more documents for the county clerks office to handle. “As revenue goes down, foreclosures go up, Frank explained. The clerk is responsible for that document so it creates more work for the office. Frank also said “As the economy turns sour, you see things happening on a criminal arena, people will rob to get the money they want or think they need. It’s sad to see where society is going.” So it really is opened my eyes to the fact that governmental agencies are also feeling the ripples of the economic crash.

In all, visiting the Pat Frank and the county clerk’s office, really gave me a new perspective on so many things. I hate to think of how uneducated I am when it comes down to public affairs issues, but the knowledge I gained will definitely make me a better journalist.

Orient Road Jail

Major Robert Lucas took the class on a tour of the Orient Road Jail. It was definitely different than I expected. I have never been to a jail before, but I honestly thought that television and movies portrayed it the way it actually is. I was expecting tiny cells made from iron that are always locked. I was definitely wrong.

Our first stop was booking. That was unbelievable to me. People were walking around free. Before Major Lucas explained what was going on I though there were just a lot of visitors. I had no idea that everyone in that room (except the employees obviously) were actually all people that were recently arrested. It was incredible to me how different the jail actually was from what I was expecting. Another thing that was different to me was the phones. Major Lucas told us that as long as they behave, those who were “arrested” are allowed to be on the phone for as long as they want. As long as they are local phone calls, there is no limit. It is so weird how different jail is from television shows.

Walking around each annex and listening to Major Lucas and the other officers speak, I couldn’t help but draw the comparison of Jail to Preschool. Obviously it is very different, but the principle is the same, if you misbehave you have to sit in a holding cell (or time out). Honestly it is a little humiliating.

When we visited the cells that carry the inmates who are serving time for a felony there was actually one inmate on suicide watch. I found it pretty inappropriate that Mr. Lucas took the class in that room and shared her story. I doubt he did anything wrong, but it seems to me to be a little unethical. While I understand she is an inmate, she is still a human being and I would think her mental issues should be kept private.

But the jail wound up to be a completely different experience than I was expecting. The inmates had a lot more freedom than I thought they would get, and the stereotypical scene of a jail is very far off.

J.D. Callaway and the Hillsborugh Sheriff's Department

Visiting the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department taught me a little bit about how to obtain certain records. In the back of my mind I think I knew that these records were available to the public, but I never thought to actually look at them as a source of information.

Hillsborough Sheriff’s spokesperson, J.D. Callaway, explained the process a reporter would take to find out information on people who have been arrested. First the reporter would check for a news release. As soon as the department has enough correct information to pass along they will send out a public news release. This release will usually have the who, what, when, where, why and how of the case. After that, the reporter would want to request the individual’s charge report. There would be more personal information on this report, such as hair and eye color, address and status of their arrest. The next step the reporter would take would be to obtain a criminal report affidavit. This form would have information about the crime or incident that landed this person in handcuffs. To protect that person, some information, including their social security number would be blacked out. The affidavit would also include the charges that the individual is being brought up on. And then there is always the incident report that might also have some extra information. I learned that it is best to read all of the reports possible so the reporter becomes an expert on the case.

It was very interesting to see the 9-1-1 call center. Operators seem very calm when they are on the phone with potential emergencies. It was an interesting experience to say the least.

Before entering the Sheriff’s Department, I learned that J.D Callaway was involved in a case where he gave out wrong information. Not knowing Callaway beforehand, my thoughts of him were a little tainted. Upon reading into the case, I found out that a man abducted and raped two women after being released in bail from the Hillsborough County Jail. Police in St. Petersburg said he was a rape suspect but Callaway said that the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department was never told that. Turns out they were made aware of this persons status and Callaway confessed to that. The problem I had with that was in the way he did. According to tampabay.com Callaway said in response, "That was my ignorance. I did find out later that we had been notified by St. Petersburg police that Rigoberto Martinez was a suspect in a rape," Callaway said. "It was my bad."Two women were raped and all he says is “my bad.” That just does not sit very well with me. Citizens should get a sense of safety from their sheriff’s department, and I think Callaway should have taken a little more responsibility, or at least shown some remorse.

Nonetheless, visiting the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department was a great experience, and I learned more about how to get a hold of certain information.

Coastal Canal Dredging in Hillsborough County

Beautiful crystal clear water, deeper and wider canals; both things waterfront property owners would love to have; but, they do not want to pay for it. At the coastal canal dredging meeting on September 10, 2008, Hillsborough county residents gathered in the auditorium at Sickles High School to learn about how the county wanted to move forward with canal dredging process.
Since Hillsborough County is a large area, Martin Montalvo, Operations Manager of Specialized Services in Hillsborough County explained to citizens that they should form small committees in their own community. Having many small Municipal Service Benefit Units (MSBUs) allows for only the area benefiting form the service provided to be taxed for it. For every small canal, a new MSBU would need to be formed, and the community would need to decide on a leader or representative. It is possible for one resident to belong to multiple MSBUs. Than the MSBU would need to get 40% of the entire community to sign off on a petition agreeing to "discuss" possible drudging for their canal.
It is important to understand that this initial petition phase comes at no cost or obligation to the citizens. After this phase, the government will come in and assess the canal and the soil surrounding it. The assessment is at the expense of the government, not the citizens, and they are using grant money as one source to fund that. Then the government will present a hard cost. "The price will be inflated about 30% so I can present you with the worst case scenario," says Montalvo. If the MSBU later decides that they do not want to go through with the process, they can walk away for no cost. Or if they decide that the price is just too much , they can decide as a group to decrease the amount of work that was recommended, for example, if the experts decide that the canal you live on should be dredged five feet for "x" amount of dollars, your MSBU can request four feet of dredging for less money. "Form the MSBU first, and then fight about money," is Jack Berlin's philosophy. He has been listening to the same arguments from both the government and the citizens for twelve years. From 1995-2007 he served as the Chairman of the Canal Advisory Board, and does not believe anything will get accomplished if the only thought on the residents mind is money.
It is also vital that all residents understand that the Hillsborough County government can and will include all homes that they deem will "reasonably benefit" form the dredging process. That means, all homes upstream of a canal, will benefit and will pay. But how do those houses benefit you might ask? Well the property value of the houses on a canal as well as up steam houses will increase therefore, those homeowners would be responsible for payment. Payments are made along with property taxes; in fact, that is where you will see the tax increase. Failure to pay for the dredging is considered as failure to pay your property taxes.
A common comment from citizens was, "well how does this effect me directly." Frances Valdes, the Administrative Assistant compared canal dredging to education. "It may not directly help or concern you now, but it will in the future." Just as the youth are the future of this country, canal dredging will prove its worth in time.

Martin Montalvo can be reached at (813)744-5671 or via e-mail, Montalvom@hillsboroughcounty.org

Jack Berlin can be reached at JBerlin@jpg.com

Frances Valdes can be reached at (813)-744-5671

Matthew Doig, Investigative Reporter

Matthew Doig, an investigative reporter for the Sarasota Harold Tribune, proved how important public records really are. He put a real-life practical use to all of the information we learned from Adria Harper the week before Doig visited.

I found the story he wrote about teachers in his community to be very interesting. Doig and his partner proved that teachers who pass the required exam the first time teach in more privileged schools, while the teachers who fail the test multiple times teach in the poorer “minority” schools. That is a valuable piece of information for the public to know. The topic was interesting, but what I found more intriguing was that once he gathered all of the information he needed from as many agencies that he needed them from, he simply loaded all of the data into one database which pretty much just spit out the results. It is still exciting to me how technology really does affect every job.

Another part of Doig’s presentation that stood out to me was when someone asked how he goes about obtaining public records from other states. Even though each state has their own laws, Doig goes about getting public records the same way as he would in Florida. If he has problems with the agency and receiving the information he needs, he will than go back and review that stats particular law.
It was all very interesting to me.

Harper’s presentation went hand in hand with Doig’s. While Harper works to educate people about public record laws in Florida, Doig is evaluating those records to uncover corruption and dig for the cold hard facts, all for the betterment of his community. Doig simply illustrated the importance of understanding the Public Record laws in a practical manner. To “investigate” properly, one needs to be able to get their hands on certain information and I believe Doig did a great job exemplifying that.