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Blueprint Commission Appointed

Today the Department of Juvenile Justice released the list of appointees to the Blueprint Commission, as well as the dates and locations of the public hearings that will be held around the state. The formation of the Blueprint Commission is a major step forward in implementing the juvenile justice reform agenda recommended by the Children’s Campaign in our 2007-08 platform.

The Blueprint Commission is being convened to address several key issues in the juvenile justice system, including recidivism, minority overrepresentation, and gender-specific responses to the rapid increase of girls.

The appointees are as follows:

  • Alex Arnold - DHL employee, youth representative
  • Marlon Brown - Gadsden County Manager
  • Donna Callaway - Retired principal and member of the State Board of Education
  • Carol H. Carlan - President of Wachovia Bank in Pensacola
  • Barbara Cheives - President of Converge and Associates Consulting, specializing in race and ethnic relations and cultural competency training
  • Sheriff Robert L. "Bob" Crowder - Martin County Sheriff
  • Richard D. Danford Jr., Ph.D. - President of the Jacksonville Urban League
  • Julio Fuentes - Founder, President and CEO of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
  • Chief G. Matthew Immler - Chief of Police for the City of Boynton Beach
  • Barry E. Krischer - State Attorney for Florida's 15th Judicial Circuit
  • Dale Landry - Chair, Criminal and Juvenile Committee of the Florida Conference of the NAACP
  • Judge Lester Langer - Associate Administrative Judge, Juvenile Division, 11th Judicial Circuit
  • Carlos J. Martinez - Chief Assistant Public Defender, 11th Judicial Circuit
  • Sidney W. Morgan - West Florida Region Market President, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
  • Danielle Morron - Tax Accountant, Wealth and Tax Advisory Services of West Palm Beach; youth representative
  • Mary Sue Neves - Superintendent of the Calhoun County School District
  • Leon Russell - Director of the Office of Human Rights for Pinellas County
  • Bill Sublette - Orlando attorney, former member of the Florida House of Representatives and key architect of the creation of the Department of Juvenile Justice in 1994
  • Judge Irene Sullivan - Unified Family Court Judge, 6th Judicial Circuit
  • Dr. Rajiv Tandon, MD - Chief of Psychiatry in the Program of Mental Health, Florida Department of Children and Families
  • Dr. David L. Thomas, MD, JD - Chair of the Department of Surgery, Nova Southeastern University
  • Steven Thompson - City Manager for the City of Deltona
  • Rev. John F. White - Senior Pastor, Mount Hermon African Methodist Episcopal Church in Ft. Lauderdale

Chaired by Florida Atlantic University President and former Lieutenant Governor Frank Brogan, and vice chaired by Dr. Lawanda Ravoira, national juvenile justice expert and author, the Blueprint Commission will conduct public hearings throughout the state and invite input from stakeholders from all aspects of juvenile justice programs and services, and from citizens.

Public hearings will be held:

September 4th and 5th – Ft. Lauderdale
September 25th and 26th – Jacksonville
October 4th and 5th – Orlando
October 17th and 18th – Ft. Myers
October 29th and 30th – Tampa
November 6th and 7th – Pensacola

Each hearing will address specific issues facing the juvenile justice system. The Children’s Campaign will provide Local Alerts to remind you of hearings in your region, as well as supply the exact location, and one pagers on the specified subject matter available on JJMatters.org one week prior to the hearings.

Following the six public hearings, the Commission will provide a full report of recommendations to Governor Crist, Secretary McNeil, and the Florida Legislature. This report will drive future decisions on systematic improvements to the juvenile justice system.

Key partners in the Blueprint Commission include the JEHT Foundation, a national philanthropic organization based in New York, NY; Jessie Ball duPont Fund (Jacksonville, FL); the Eckerd Family Foundation (Clearwater, FL); the Children's Campaign, Inc.; the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services; and the Florida Juvenile Justice Association (FJJA). Children’s Campaign, Inc., President Roy Miller is serving as a strategic advisor to the Blueprint Commission.

Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary McNeil stated, “Together with the Blueprint Commission, the Department of Juvenile Justice is taking an important step forward in reforming our juvenile justice system.”

To read the full press release click here.