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State closes door on boot camps

Lawmakers have formalized a deal that shifts funding for boot camps to new programs that emphasize education.

By ALEX LEARY
Published April 27, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's boot camps were eliminated by lawmakers Wednesday, nearly four months after a teenager's death led to a protest march on the Capitol and the resignation of the state's top law officer.

"Boot camps are gone, never to rear their ugly heads again in Florida," said Sen. Les Miller, D-Tampa.

House and Senate budget leaders formalized a deal cut Tuesday that shifts $10.5-million intended for boot camps, including one in Pinellas, to new programs that emphasize education while outlawing rough physical tactics guards in Bay County used on Martin Lee Anderson.

"It's historic, but unfortunately it's taken the death of a young man to get here," said Rep. Gus Barreiro, R-Miami Beach, a longtime critic of juvenile justice programs who led the charge to eliminate boot camps after seeing the video of the Jan. 5 beating.

Anderson, 14, died a day later and the matter is under investigation by federal officials and Hillsborough State Attorney Mark Ober, appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush as the special prosecutor.

Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville, touted the reform on the Senate floor but said Ober needs to release the results of a second autopsy so Anderson's family can have "some kind of rest, some kind of peace."

Hill also called for arresting the guards involved in the altercation and a nurse who appeared to stand by, doing nothing.

Bush has called on Ober to speed up the investigation and Attorney General Charlie Crist, a GOP candidate to replace Bush, asked the Florida Medical Examiners Commission to investigate the first autopsy by Bay County Medical Examiner Dr. Charles Siebert, which concluded Anderson died of internal bleeding from sickle cell trait, not a beating.

Lawmakers on Wednesday also greatly increased funding for other programs under the Department of Juvenile Justice, a move private providers said was desperately needed to increase pay and attract better staff. Part of that $32.6-million allocation can be used for new programs that will replace boot camps, Barreiro said.

But questions remained whether it would be enough. Martin County Sheriff Robert Crowder, whose boot camp is the model for the new program, said it appeared funding would still fall short of what he needs. Crowder planned to close his facility by June.

Martin County's program played down the aggressive tactics seen at other boot camps in favor of more education and self-esteem building. It also incorporated so-called after-care, which helped youths transition back into society. The approach netted not only the lowest recidivism rate among boot camps, but the second lowest of all juvenile justice programs.

Bay County has already closed its boot camp amid the controversy, leaving Martin, Manatee, Pinellas and Polk. If they are to continue, they will be known as STAR, or Sheriff's Training and Respect, programs.

Florida started boot camps in 1992. Youths went through a dramatic induction period in which they were shouted at by drill instructors and made to do strenuous exercises. Anderson was roughed up after collapsing during a forced run around a dirt track.

Under STAR, education and self-esteem would become more prominent and staff could use force only for self-defense or to protect other youths. The youngsters also will be evaluated by a registered nurse upon entering and leaving the program to identify any abnormalities.

Since the video became public in February, the controversy has swelled to national proportions. A group of about 30 college students demanding justice staged an overnight sit-in outside the governor's office last week. On Friday the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton led a march of 2,000 protesters to the state Capitol. A day earlier, the head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Guy Tunnell, resigned after taking sharp criticism for e-mails he sent other officials in defense of boot camps.

[Last modified April 27, 2006, 02:19:43]