Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout0548 s~ ' ~ ~ . ~ ' 493392 ~ ~ I IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE NINETEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO. 80-10 CJ Miscellaneous IN RE: Juvenile Act of 1980 (SENATE BILL 0409) ~ i THIS CAUSE came on to be heard upon the oral request ~of various law enforcement officials of St. Lucie County, Florida, for guidance as to the aforesaid Act, and the State Attorney and Public Defender having been notified of the hearing, the Court finds as follows, to-wit: The Act is confusing, impractical and not reflective of the intentions of the Legislators, i.e.: 1. The Legislature did not intend that children (some of which are thugs) when caught in the act of committing a serious crime such as burglary of a home, threatening children, scaring old people into a heart attack, eluding police officers in a wild chase down the highway, driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident, etc. BE TURNED-LOOSE ON THE SPOT AND NOT BE DE- j TAINED IN .THE JUrr1EYILE' DETENTION CENTER pending the usua etention Baring. 2. The Legislature did not intend that the Court- ; :house remain open all night, seven days a week, in M order to provide "record" information to authorities , ~ as to a juvenile's background (for. purposes of de- termining detention). 3. The Legislature did not intend that juvenile thugs who-assault detention home employees, incite riots therein or otherwise become uncontrollable i be RELEASED OUT OF THE DETENTION HOME TO HARASS ~ SOCIETY, but that the Legislature still desires -that such thugs be transferred to a county jail in order to maintain safe detention facilities for other detainees as well as to maintain law and order for all concerned. E ~ 4. That the juvenile social experiment referred to by the United States Supreme Court, in Re: Gault, 387 U.S. 1, 18 L.Ed.2d 527, 87 S.Ct. 1428 (1967), while of some benefit to society, by and large as now constituted, is a national disgrace. ~ - 5. That it is probably unconstitutional as it deprives citizens (who happen to be young) of equal rights and equal protection under the law of the United States Constitution, such as jury trials, right to bail, a fair trial, etc.; and that as presently practiced, it needlessly permits some ~ young thugs to trample upon the person and property of undefensible women, children and senior citizens. - ~ P1fE ~ . - _ -