Daniela Estrada is an exchange student from Mexico.
Daniela Estrada is wrapping up her studies at Stetson University College of Law this week as part of an exchange program with the Autonomous University of Nuevo León in Monterrey, Mexico. Estrada is the first student to participate in the exchange program between Mexico and Stetson Law.
Stetson Law student Joe Mascherin is studying in Granada, Spain, as part of a student exchange program between Stetson and the Universidad de Granada. Mascherin recently competed on Granada’s team at the Foreign Direct Investment Moot Competition at King’s College in London.
Stetson student Joe Mascherin, foreground, with the moot court team.
Maria Sanchez is pursuing a JD/Grado degree from Stetson Law and the Universidad de Granada. She traveled from the Universidad de Granada to Stetson Law in Gulfport as part of a new degree program.
The J.D./Grado en Derecho dual-degree program, offered by Stetson Law, in Gulfport, Fla., and the Universidad de Granada, in Granada, Spain, is open to first-year Stetson students in good academic standing who are bilingual in Spanish and English or who have excellent written and oral Spanish skills and are willing to immerse themselves in a different legal culture.
Maria Sanchez is completing a JD/Grado degree.
Each year, both Stetson Law and the Universidad de Granada will select up to two students to study for two years at Stetson Law and two years at the Universidad de Granada. Upon successful completion of four years of study, these students will receive the J.D. degree from Stetson and the Grado en Derecho from Granada.
Jamaica − Third-year law Stetson Law student Marcela Bonells is presenting her paper in Spanish this week at the V Pan-American Regional Meeting in Jamaica. Bonells completed an externship with Ramsar this summer in Switzerland.
Stetson Law Interim Dean Royal Gardner, past chair of the U.S. Ramsar Committee and author of the book, Lawyers, Swamps and Money: U.S. Wetland Law, Policy, and Politics, is moderating the Ramsar session in Jamaica.
Interim Dean Royal Gardner meets with students working on the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy at Stetson.
India – The India regional rounds of Stetson Law’s International Environmental Moot Court Competition were conducted this past weekend. The National Law University, Jodhpur, won the North India regional round and the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, won the South India regional round of competition. This is the 16th year Stetson has held this competition. Countries participating in the IEMCC this year include Africa, Australia, China, India, Ireland, Korea, Latin America, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, United States, Ukraine and Vietnam.
Competitions around the world will determine which four teams of law students will compete at the International Finals hosted at Stetson Law in Tampa Bay, Fla., at the end of March. The students practice their skills presenting legal arguments involving a realistic nuclear plant accident with the potential to impact multiple countries.
Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady was honored with the J. Ben Watkins Award for Excellence in the Legal Profession on Nov. 18 during the annual Stetson Law Review banquet. The award honors individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and accomplishment in the legal community.
Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady was honored with the J. Ben Watkins Award for Excellence in the Legal Profession.
Justice Canady, of Lakeland, is serving as Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court through June 2012. He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court in 2008. Prior to joining the Florida Supreme Court, Justice Canady was appointed to the Second District Court of Appeal. He was General Counsel to Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and served in Congress in the Florida House of Representatives and U.S. House of Representatives. He was a member of the House Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. Before serving in Congress, Justice Canady practiced law with Holland and Knight and with Lane Trohn.
The award is presented in honor of J. Ben Watkins, who helped found the Stetson Law Review and is an honorary member of the Stetson Law Board of Overseers. Previous recipients of this prestigious award include outstanding members of the judiciary and bar leadership.
Stetson University College of Law won the regional round of the New York City Bar’s 62nd Annual National Moot Court Competition in Atlanta on Nov. 19.
Students Ryan Leuthauser, Scott Stevenson, and Julia Richmond won the regional of the New York City Bar's 62nd Annual National Moot Court Competition
Stetson also won the best brief award in the competition. The team of Ryan Leuthauser, Julia Richmond, and Scott Stevenson will advance to the national rounds in January in New York.
“We could not be more proud of these students, who will be the first team to represent Stetson in the national round of this competition,” said Professor Brooke Bowman, moot court board advisor.
Stetson Law professors Michael Allen and Louis Virelli coached the team. The competition is hosted by the New York City Bar Committee on Young Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Students from John Marshall Law School, Chicago, won first place at the regional round of the ABA Law Student Division Arbitration Competition on Nov. 19 at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla.
The first-place John Marshall Law School team of Josh Rinker, Chase Gruszka, Sara Ross, Danielle Vlcek, and coach Angelique Palmer.
The first-place team of Chase Gruszka, Josh Rinker, Sara Ross and Danielle Vlcek will advance to compete in the national finals at ABA headquarters in Chicago in January. Angelique Palmer and Anthony Sam coached the winning team from John Marshall.
The Stetson team of Eric Briley, Ashley Dusnik, Julie Ann Embler and Jhenerr Hines placed second and also will advance to the national competition. Professor James Sheehan coached the team.
The ABA Law Student Division Arbitration Competition simulates a realistic arbitration hearing in which students prepare and present a case, including opening statements, witness examinations, exhibit introductions, evidence presentations and summations. A panel of judges offered feedback on the students’ presentations to help them hone their skills as arbitrators.
The Office of Student Life at Stetson Law oversees more than 40 student organizations on campus. These organizations assist law students in becoming effective leaders, encouraging students to participate in activities on campus and in the surrounding community through pro bono work, workshops and networking opportunities.
Students meet at the Student Organizations Fair on Sept. 21. Photo by Philip Hadley.
Within the past year, a few new organizations have been created and many have been revived after being dormant for several years. The Stetson Chapter of the Florida Bar Association Young Lawyer’s Division and the Student Veterans Organization are some of the newest student organizations. The Labor and Employment Law Association was created last spring.
The Part-Time Student Society, Performing Arts Society and Stetson Law Parents have reemerged as active organizations on campus. The Business Law Society, Education Law Society and Immigration Law Students Association have offered new programming.
The new Student Veterans Organization will present a program this semester for the college community about using military training to combat stress. U.S. Army Major Jeff Peppers and Sarah Siegrist, Staff Psychotherapist from Eckerd College Counseling Services, are scheduled to speak about proactive ways to prepare for periods of stress.
The Performing Arts Society, now known as the Arts Society at Stetson Law, was founded years ago but remained largely inactive for several years until it was reestablished by current student president Kevin Goertzen. The organization was founded in order to bring a balance to students’ lives and to serve as a predicate for their futures as attorneys.
“We want to encourage those with a passion for the law and the arts to strike a balance between the two,” said Goertzen. “The Performing Arts Society gives students the opportunity to start doing that now.”
Students take a break from studies for pizza and art on Nov. 16. Photo by Steven Lacks.
Goertzen said that he also hopes to teach students how maintaining that balance helps everyone to learn artistic principles that can assist with the practice of law.
The Performing Arts Society just completed its first short film, entitled “Things Not To Do in Law School.” This is a humorous, satirical short film acted out by the student body at Stetson.
The group hosted a pizza and art-making party for students this semester. They have plans to host an arts show made up of law students and lawyers and judges in the surrounding community. They also plan to have Harvey Moore, owner of Trial Practices, Inc., come speak to the group.
The Stetson Law Parents organization was founded in January 2011 by students Bryony Swift and Colleen Williams. They founded this organization as a way to facilitate connections between students who are also parents.
“There are many student-parents who struggle to juggle kids with law school,” said Swift, who serves as the president of Stetson Law Parents. “We believe that organization provides a way for student-parents to help each other out. We also see it as a way to facilitate connections with other children.”
The Stetson Law Parents hosted a successful back-to-school family barbecue at the beginning of the semester. They hosted a fall family costume party for children on Nov. 5.
The Business Law Society, founded in June of 1997, has been reenergized under the direction of the current executive board, including vice president Mark Osborne.
“Our mission is to foster improved coordination, better understanding, and mutually beneficial relationships between the local, state, and national business community and Stetson Law students,” said Osborne. “It is my belief that we have served our goal of making the Business Law Society relevant again and making our events beneficial to the student body.”
The Business Law Society has hosted Adjunct Professor Robert LeVine, a UCC expert and nationally recognized motivational speaker, and Carlton Fields attorney Nathaniel Doliner, the former American Bar Association Business Law Section Chair. The society held a networking event on Nov. 10 at the Tampa Law Center that included attorneys from in-house counsel and corporate law firms.
The Education Law Association was founded during the 2008-2009 academic year at Stetson.
The Education Law Association participated in the Student Organizations Fair in September. Photo by Philip Hadley.
“The organization was founded to create awareness and educate the Stetson community about what education law is, why it is important, and how education law issues impact everyone,” said organization president Annaliese Bullock.
Recently, the Education Law Association invited the St. Petersburg College Office of General Counsel to come speak to the members of the organization. The group has plans to work with Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education to create more opportunities for student involvement. They are encouraging students to volunteer at Stetson’s annual National Conference on Law & Higher Education in Orlando in February.
The Immigration Law Society provides valuable educational and networking experiences to students interested in immigration law, connecting law students with immigration practitioners and government agencies.
“Our goal is to create a forum where students can gain a practical understanding of immigration law and give back to the immigration community,” said student president Haley Meher.
In the past, the Immigration Law Society has hosted Professor Stephan Legomsky, who wrote the text book currently used in Stetson’s Immigration Law class. The group also held an immigration law research workshop on Nov. 14. In the spring, they plan to have a networking dinner with prominent figures in immigration law. They also plan to visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Tampa.
For more information about student organizations at Stetson Law or information about how to start a new organization as a student, contact the Office of Student Life at [email protected].
Professor Bruno Zeller of Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, taught an International Trade Law course this fall at Stetson after receiving an invitation from Stetson Law Professor Stephanie Vaughan.
Professor Bruno Zeller (center) visited Stetson Law from Australia this semester.
“It was a great pleasure to have a class that participates very actively in discussions,” said Professor Zeller, who also said that he found Stetson students very attuned and receptive.
Advocacy is one difference that Professor Zeller noticed between his own students and Stetson students. He said that his students in Australia start from the same base as the students at Stetson, but the legal skills taught at Stetson take legal education a step further.
“I have never seen a university that teaches legal skills as well as Stetson,” Professor Zeller said. “It is not by accident that Stetson students are known internationally for their skills in advocacy.”
Stetson Law won the world championship at the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria, in 2005. Professor Vaughan coached the award-winning team. Professor Zeller also coaches students for the Vis Moot.
Upon returning to Australia, Professor Zeller said that he hopes to help build an exchange program between Stetson and Victoria University for students and staff. He said that if asked again, he will certainly return to Stetson to teach.
“Stetson was one of the best universities I have taught at,” said Professor Zeller. “They have wonderful students, good professors, as well as an effective support staff.”
Professor Bruno Zeller, of Victoria University, taught at Stetson Law in the fall.
Professor Zeller received his Ph.D. from Melbourne University. He is an expert in International Trade Law, International Arbitration, Conflict of Laws and Maritime Law at the law school at Victoria University. He is also a visiting professor at Humboldt University in Berlin.
This year, Professor Zeller has published articles including “Intellectual Property Rights and the CISG Article 42”and “Foreign Investments in Saudi Arabia.” He has also been published in CISG Casebook and Guide to Application and has authored CISG and the Unification of International Trade Law.
Documentary filmmaker and lecturer Luis Argueta screened and discussed his documentary, abUSed:The Postville Raid, on Thursday evening, Nov. 10, on Stetson’s Gulfport campus. Argueta, who is originally from Guatemala, talked with Stetson Law students about the plight of undocumented workers and the need to reform immigration laws.
Filmmaker Luis Argueta talks with Professor Luz Nagle before the screening of abUSed.
The documentary, abUSed:The Postville Raid, tells the personal stories of the individuals, families and town directly impacted by the 2008 Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at Agriprocessors, Inc., that resulted in hundreds of arrests. At the time, the raid was described as the largest, most expensive and most brutal in the history of the U.S.
In less than a week, more than 300 workers were fast-tracked through the U.S. legal system, convicted of criminal charges and sentenced to five months in prison followed by deportation.
Argueta said that he first had the desire to create this film after reading an article about the raid in the Washington Post. The 14-page article was written by a certified interpreter who was hired by the federal government to work during the arraignment and sentencing process. This interpreter created a vivid picture of what occurred after the raid.
This article inspired Argueta to visit Postville and interview the survivors of the raid. After initially only planning to visit Postville for a few days, Argueta said that he found himself going back 29 times to interview people. He even took a trip to Guatemala to visit the relatives of those in jail. The documentary shows the very damaging effects of the enforcement policy on families, children and the Postville community.
“The film was very touching and informative,” Stetson Law student Tiffany Owens said after the screening. “I had no idea that the raids even took place. It’s nice to see that someone is being proactive in spreading the word about this issue.”
Argueta, who was born and raised in Guatemala, has been a resident of New York since 1977. He said that he came to the U.S. because he couldn’t breathe in Guatemala. While there, he said he was raised with fear and was taught to never question any injustice because the result could end in death. As he got older, he said he refused to live that way any longer.
Filmmaker Luis Argueta talks with a crowd at Stetson Law during the screening of "abUSed: The Postville Raid."
Argueta said that he feels that the biggest problem with immigration policy is that it doesn’t work. He explained that it is impossible to deport 11 million people. He said that ideally, he would like to see an immigration policy based on the respect of human dignity, common sense and compassion.
“As a nation, when we try to solve the immigration issue by relying solely on enforcement and scapegoating the most vulnerable among us, we are engaging in a futile activity,” said Argueta. “Throwing billions of dollars into creating border walls and prisons is only enriching unscrupulous corporations, not solving the problem of undocumented immigration.”
Argueta said that he wants people to see immigrants in a new light and not as people to be feared. He said that he believes that “by looking into the human face of immigrants and walking in their shoes, by being compassionate, we will begin to regain our own lost humanity.”
Argueta was listed in the British newspaper, The Guardian, as one of Guatemala’s National Living Icons. His film, The Silence of Neto,is the only Guatemalan film ever to have reached the Academy Awards competition and he is the only Guatemalan director to have received a CLIO.
Filmmaker Luis Argueta talks at Stetson on Nov. 10.
Stetson Law Professor Luz Nagle, Stetson Law third-year student Silvia Manzanero and attorney Linda Friedman Ramirez organized the event.
Stetson’s student International Law Society, Immigration Law Student Association, Amnesty International and the Hispanic Bar Association helped sponsor the event, along with Stetson’s Center for Excellence in International Law, attorney Linda Friedman Ramirez, adjunct law professors Arturo R. Rios and William J. Flynn, III, and Stetson alumnus Jean Pierre Espinoza.
Stetson University College of Law student Maria Bogomaz was the only law student invited from outside the Washington, D.C., area to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 1961 Freedom Rides at the White House on Oct. 19. She had an opportunity to meet with heroes of the Civil Rights Movement.
Stetson Law student Maria Bogomaz meets with John Seigenthaler.
Law students from the Washington, D.C., area were invited to the program, which featured many of the original Freedom Riders; Diane Nash, legendary Nashville Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Movement leader; John Seigenthaler, former assistant to Robert F. Kennedy in 1960-62; and University of South Florida St. Petersburg Professor Ray Arsenault, the author of Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice. The White House Office of Public Engagement and the National Endowment for the Humanities presented the program to celebrate the 1961 Freedom Rides, and to encourage the teaching of Civil Rights courses in American law schools.
For the past six years, Professor Arsenault and I have collaborated in conducting a travel course on the subject of Constitutional Law and the Civil Rights Movement, an experiential learning opportunity for students at USF and Stetson University who have completed coursework on the subject. The travel course is made possible in part because of a generous annual donation by the law firm of Florin Roebig. Stetson’s coursework in the legal history of American Civil Rights has been recognized as innovative, because our travel course offers students the opportunity to visit the places where major events in the Civil Rights Movement occurred, and to meet personally with many original movement veterans with whom they can discuss the history of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The students also travel to universities, centers, institutes and archives of Movement history in Montgomery, Nashville, Birmingham, Memphis and Selma.
Professor Arsenault brought special recognition to Stetson Law by requesting that our student, Maria Bogomaz, be invited to the event in Washington, D.C. A graduate of the University of Alabama Birmingham Honors Program, Ms. Bogomaz completed coursework at Stetson on the subject of Constitutional Law and the Civil Rights Movement and participated in our 2011 travel course. She has also been recognized as the recipient of Stetson Law’s 2011 Public Service Fellowship.
Maria Bogomaz takes a moment to reflect during the civil rights travel course at the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Ms. Bogomaz was able to interact at the event with both Diane Nash and John Seigenthaler, and to discuss her experiences in our program with representatives of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Bar Association. She also presented them with a copy of a Stetson-produced documentary film created by me and video producer Stan Arthur on the subject of the travel course, as well as information about Stetson Law’s newly established Civil Rights Video History Project.
“I had seen the PBS Freedom Riders documentary, but watching it with the Freedom Riders themselves, as well as John Seigenthaler, was a different experience altogether,” Ms. Bogomaz said. “The most poignant, pure moment occurred when the soundtrack came to the first Freedom song. ‘I’m taking a trip on the Greyhound bus line…’ I started humming along, remembering how Freedom Rider Rip Patton taught us the words this past summer. Suddenly, I realized that the sound wasn’t just coming from the stereo speakers; the Freedom Riders in the audience were singing. And that’s when things connected. These people were not merely remembering history. They were there. They were the ones singing this song. The words belonged to them, and the blood belonged to them, and now they were sitting together, singing the words to us: ‘Hallelujah, I am traveling, hallelujah, ain’t it fine.’ I knew the words. ‘Hallelujah, I am traveling down Freedom’s main line.’”
Ms. Bogomaz shared some of Diane Nash’s comments: “When asked about nonviolence, she said the concept of the Beloved Community is very deep. A lot of people did not understand it. Gandhi discovered a power, an energy, and a way for it to be harnessed, to be focused to bring about social change. It took us a long time and we’re still learning.”
Mr. Seigenthaler interjected, “When you look at politics today, we still haven’t learned.”
After meeting Diane Nash, Ms. Bogomaz wrote, “I spoke to her, star-struck, and she took it with grace, lifted me up, and put me on firm footing, as if we were equals, as if it was nothing to talk to a hero.”
Stetson University College of Law is expanding its programs for veterans this year. The college is increasing the number of Yellow Ribbon scholarships that it offers student veterans from three to 10, a new Student Veterans Organization has started this semester on campus, and a new legal assistance program for veterans is in the works.
Student Jeffrey Harvey leads a recent meeting of the Student Veterans Organization on the Gulfport campus. Photo by Steven Lacks.
The Tampa Bay area on the west coast of Florida is home to one of the largest concentrations of military veterans in the U.S. The need for expanded programming, including academic and legal services for both veterans and active military, is substantial.
“Veterans take an oath to support and defend the Constitution when they become members of the military. These additional scholarships will allow more veterans to continue to fulfill that oath as members of the legal profession. It is, in a very real sense, a continuation of service to the nation,” said Professor Charles Rose, director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy at Stetson Law.
Stetson’s new expanded programs for veterans will provide law students with an opportunity to receive more scholarships, learn more about the expanding field of veterans law, and sharpen their legal skills while helping to serve the area’s growing veteran population.
“The new student organization will create a network of student veterans on campus that can provide peer support, increase awareness and participation in pro bono projects that help veterans, and provide a forum for a collaborative discussion on resolving issues that affect not only veterans, but the military and legal professions at large,” said Jeffrey Harvey, president of the Student Veterans Organization at Stetson. “One way we hope to do this by organizing events where students can learn skills like time and stress management from the military culture.”
Stetson Law student veteran Javier Centonzio is spearheading Heroes Weekend, a series of community events that includes a parade and musical performances in honor of the service and sacrifice of our active military and veterans, on Nov. 10, 12 and 13, on the Gulfport waterfront.
The Florida Bar and Stetson Law are co-sponsoring Veterans Law Accreditation Training for practicing lawyers from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Nov. 12 at the Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St.
Prospective students are invited to learn more about the Stetson Law experience at Law School Information Day, starting at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 12, on the Gulfport campus, 1401 61st St. S.
For more information about Stetson’s resources for veterans, including its work with the Yellow Ribbon program, please visit our Veterans Resources Page.
Stetson University College of Law inducted seven members into its Hall of Fame on Oct. 29 in Gulfport. Note: See the Hall of Fame 2011 Flickr set to view images from the event.
This year’s inductees include:
Professor Robert Batey
Professor Robert Batey
Robert Batey joined Stetson Law’s faculty in 1977 and has taught a wide range of legal courses. He was the first Stetson professor to teach courses on sentencing, law and literature, sexual orientation and the law, and juvenile law. He was the first moot court and Lambda Legal Society adviser. He has written extensively on criminal justice, law and literature, and related topics. Since 1995, Professor Batey has been a member of the Families Against Mandatory Minimums organization.
Albert Farrah was the inaugural dean of Florida’s first law school, Stetson Law, from 1900-1907. Dean Farrah instituted “practice court,” believed to be the first trial advocacy program in the country. Farrah was also one of the first law deans to hire a woman on the faculty. He went on to serve as the first law dean of both the University of Florida and the University of Alabama.
General Roy Stanley Geiger ’07- award presented posthumously
Roy Stanley Geiger earned his law degree from Stetson Law in 1907. During World War II, he became Commanding General of the First Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force. His most famous victory was the success of his Marine Aircraft Wing at Guadalcanal. General Geiger was awarded in excess of 25 decorations, including a Presidential Citation for the battle of Guadalcanal, a Distinguished Service Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal. Camp Geiger at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina is named after the war hero. Geiger was promoted to four-star rank posthumously by the 80th Congress in 1947.
Amelia G. Govan co-founded Stetson’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) in 1979 with fellow student Malcolm J.L. Harper. Today, Judge Govan is an administrative law judge with the Labor Standards Office for the District of Columbia. She is a member of the judicial council of judges, the Florida and D.C. bars, and is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Kenneth A. Marra is a judge with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He started his legal career in the U.S. Department of Justice’s highly competitive Honors Program in Washington, D.C., where he was assigned to represent the interests of Native Americans. He continued working in that area of law in private practice before being appointed to the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County. Judge Marra is also the recipient of Stetson Law’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Irene H. Sullivan is the author of Raised by the Courts: One Judge’s Insight into Juvenile Justice. Judge Sullivan retired in 2010 after serving 12 years as a Circuit Court Judge in the Unified Family Court of Florida’s sixth judicial circuit − handling juvenile delinquency, dependency and domestic violence cases. She has served on numerous advisory boards including the MacArthur Foundation and the American Bar Association’s Youth at Risk Commission.
In 2007, Judge Sullivan received Stetson’s Ben C. Willard Award for distinguished humanitarian achievements that have benefited Florida citizens and people throughout the world. Judge Sullivan is also the recipient of the St. Petersburg Bar Association Judicial Appreciation Award and the Children’s Justice Award from the Salvation Army. Judge Sullivan was one of only four women in her law class at Stetson.
C. Allen Watts is a city, county and local government law attorney with the law firm of Cobb Cole and has practiced in many areas of land use and administrative law, including environmental regulation, governmental law, education law, concurrency, wetlands and habitat conservation, and related trial and appellate practice. He is a member of the board of directors of 1000 Friends of Florida. Watts is a founding member of the Stetson Law Review and served as editor-in-chief. He served as a Stetson University adjunct professor in the School of Business Administration and as board advisor with the College of Arts and Sciences. He also served as a founding member of the faculty of Campbell University School of Law from 1976-78.
Professor Judith Scully is working on a pro bono initiative at Stetson that is inspiring law students to reach out to educate juveniles and the community about the harsh consequences of the criminal punishment system.
Professor Judith Scully met with students in the Juvenile Justice Initiative at Stetson.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to sentence juveniles who have not committed murder to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Juveniles resentenced in Florida courts following the Supreme Court decision still face lengthy sentences. For many kids, being caught up in the adult justice system can mature into a life of crime, with repeat offenses and arrests.
A Nov. 21, 2010, article by Lloyd Dunkelberger in the Ocala Star-Banner reported that there were more than 100 people sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole for non-murder crimes that they committed as juveniles. “Florida has sentenced far more juveniles to such sentences than all other states combined,” Dunkelberger wrote.
“Intervention and education at an earlier age can help shut down the school-to-prison pipeline,” said Professor Scully, an expert in criminal law who also leads the Innocence Initiative at Stetson.
Approximately 40 law students showed up at the first meeting of the Juvenile Justice Initiative at Stetson in Gulfport a few weeks ago. There are already two students enrolled in externships working with juvenile cases this semester.
Student Robson Powers, one of the members of the Juvenile Justice Initiative student organization, is working in an externship at a criminal defense firm. Powers said that he joined the Juvenile Justice Initiative at Stetson because he believes that juveniles should be treated as juveniles and not be tried in adult courts.
“The misguided notion of ‘adult time, adult crime’ goes against the fabric of juvenile court,” said Powers. “Juveniles are different and deserve rehabilitation, not incarceration.”
Students in the Juvenile Justice Initiative met Nov. 2 to brainstorm ways to help juveniles.
Powers took several classes on criminal and juvenile law and wrote a seminar research paper on the disproportionate number of minority juveniles who get transferred to adult court in Florida. Before law school, Powers helped prepare federal prosecutions at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida in the criminal division.
Besides providing externships for students in the juvenile criminal law field, Stetson’s Juvenile Justice Initiative will bring a speaker series to campus and introduce a Street Law Program into Pinellas County middle schools in the spring.
Student Amy Ray is developing the proposal and curriculum for the Street Law Program, designed for at-risk middle school students.
By giving juveniles the necessary information to make informed decisions, providing them with tools and alternatives to crime, and illustrating the consequences of illegal behavior, Ray said that she hopes that Street Law can intervene at a critical point to help break the school-to-prison cycle.
Ray is finishing both her master’s degree in public health and law degree. She already has a master’s in criminal justice focusing on the theoretical aspects of delinquency, and she has studied violence as a public health concern.
“If this initiative can be implemented effectively in the community, then it has the power to grow outside of the county,” Ray said. “I’d like to see it partner with the Florida Department of Health as a way to grow.”
Annaliese Bullock, a founding member of the Juvenile Justice Initiative, said that she has always had a desire to work with youth, even before coming to law school. Bullock is researching diversion programs and crossover youth. Diversion programs offer youth an alternative to prison time, and steer them in the direction of counseling, community service, or similar alternatives that will improve their situation. Crossover youth are those who are involved in both the juvenile dependency and delinquency system.
Students in the Juvenile Justice Initiative at Stetson met to discuss programs to serve the needs of juveniles caught up in the criminal punishment system.
“I’d like to see the Juvenile Justice Initiative Street Law Program help educate local youth about the law, their rights and overall human rights,” Bullock said. “I’d also like to see the program grow to educate Stetson students about youth issues and to encourage community relationships.”
Professor Scully said that she hopes that this initiative will inspire students and others to see juvenile law as an important area of law and not just as a stepping stone to other careers.
Student Jessica Becht plans to pursue a career in juvenile law after graduating and is a researcher for the Juvenile Justice Initiative Street Law Program. An internship in college with a Circuit Court Family judge working in dependency and delinquency court sparked her interest. She said that she hopes that the Juvenile Justice Initiative will help show law students the importance of being advocates for young people and how to be more responsive to the diversity of issues raised by juvenile criminal law.
Judge Irene Sullivan, former circuit court judge in the Unified Family Court, is teaching a Juvenile Law Seminar this semester at Stetson. The class she co-taught with Professors Judith Scully and Robert Batey at Stetson on juvenile law last semester inspired the Juvenile Justice Initiative.
“Clients in juvenile defense are often underprivileged, low-income kids, some struggling with learning disabilities and poverty,” Professor Scully said.
Becht said that education is the first step toward fixing the problem of juvenile crime in the area.
“Community advocacy and community education are part of the broader definition of advocacy and we, at Stetson, specialize in teaching advocacy,” Professor Scully said.
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