JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Monday, May 04, 2009

WHAT HAVE WE WROUGHT?

Before we address the article, the Broward Blog reports the bill to do away with depos on 3rd degree felonies has died. This year. Like a vampire, most bills bad for criminal defense will rise once again to walk the earth (or Tallahassee) searching for sponsors ready to feed it on the blood of public opinion

 
SEXUAL PREDATORS LIVE UNDER MIAMI BRIDGE. 

The title of the post links to the compelling Miami Herald article that details the growing population (now 66, up from 22 a year ago) of convicts who are forced to live under the Julia Tuttle Causeway so as to satisfy the requirement that they not live within 2,500 feet where children gather. 

Let us be clear on this: children are our most precious resource and should be carefully protected at almost any cost. The devastating impact of sexual abuse creates a cycle that perpetuates from generation to generation. We are not decrying the law designed to protect children. We are just noting that a certain amount of fundamental decency requires that if we are going to have and enforce this law, the people convicted need a decent place to stay.  

Living under a bridge  doesn't do anything to help this problem. 

Cuba doesn't do this to their citizens. 
North Korea doesn't do this to their citizens. Neither does Iran, or China, or any other country that we berate for not having as civilized a justice system as we have here. 

It's a good thing to keep sexual predators away from children. 
It's an embarrassment to force them to live under a bridge. 

See you in court, still wearing a mask because of the swine flu. 

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Absolutely -an outrage! Now who are the leaders in Dade County to work on this? Anyone, anyone?

Just kidding.

Maybe a judge will take a stand. Maybe a prosecutor will do something. Maybe we wont vote in a bunch of idiots.

Now what's on TV tonight?

Anonymous said...

Why is there no ASA union?

Anonymous said...

Florida needs to differentiate between the different types of sex offenders. The difference between some 18 or 19 year old who decides to have sex with a 15 year old, who consents, and some guy who likes to molest young children is equivalent to the difference between a guy who shoplifts $100 or so worth of groceries from Publix and Bernie Madoff.

Likewise, the stupid 18 year old must be treated differently from "Bernie Madoff," and there must be several categories in between.

I feel no sympathy for the "Bernie Madoffs" of sexual abuse, however. I happen to know a child who was sexually abused by an older relative on several occasions. Three years later, he/she is still in therapy and will have scars that no length of time can erase. Plus his/her parents must be exceptionally vigilant that their child does not abuse others. Several innocent lives have been ruined by one depraved pervert. As far as I am concerned, the "Bernies" should have a choice of two homes:

1. Prison for the rest of their natural lives.

2. Hell, after they are executed.

Anonymous said...

Are you bonkers! I am starting to think you actually drink the Miami River Water in bulk! So you stated:

"Cuba doesn't do this to their citizens. North Korea doesn't do this to their citizens. Neither does Iran, or China, or any other country "

The reasons the sick fucks in those countries who prey on innocent children DO NOT live under a bridge is for two reasons 1. They are in prison for the rest of there lives which solves the under the bridge issue or 2. they were shot in the head via a court ordered sentence to die which also solves the under the bridge issue.

Sorry Rumpole I am on the side of the axis of evil countries when it comes to sexual perverts preying on innocent children.

BTW I am a Democrat in case I get called a Republican for wanting to protect kids.

Sometimes Rumpole you say things that would just upset the Pope!

Anonymous said...

"Maybe a judge will take a stand. Maybe a prosecutor will do something."

They won't, because they know that if they did they'd end up on Fox News or Nancy Grace as the "PEDO-LOVING JUDGE! MOLESTER-CODDLING PROSECUTOR! These whackos are acknowledging that sex offenders are still human beings? LYNCH 'EM!"

We've gone so far off the deep end with the sex offender hysteria the last few decades that now we're willing to charge teens who send each other racy pics of themselves on their cellphones.

So let me get this straight: we say the reason adults can't have consensual sex with minors because minors lack the mental and emotional maturity required to truly consent... however, when an 18 year old (still by any reasonable emotional metric still a kid) has sex with a 17 year old (who is virtually emotionally and intellectually indistinguishable from an 18 year old) -- or they just send each other naked pictures of themselves -- SUDDENLY we impute them with the maturity and capacity to have fully intended a criminal act.

The "crusade" of taking every civil and human right we've established in the last several hundred years of civilization and throw it in the garbage when it comes to "protecting the children" has now gone so absurdly far that it's being applied TO children. We have lost our fucking minds.

Anonymous said...

I have a suggestion, if you are looking for a "leader" to look into this problem -how about Bennett H. Brummer... you know the retired uh not retired - uh "Counsel for the PDO" with plenty of free time working for God knows how much $$$ perhaps he can take on this absolutely horrible problem??? Ya!

Anonymous said...

did the legislature cut JUDGE's Salaries by 2%?

Fairy-tale Troll said...

Seriously, I've been getting alot of bad press because of this -- No-one comes by my bridge anymore: Hansel and Gretel never come to visit anymore, the Seven Dwarves always have some excuse why they miss my Tupperware parties, and Little Red Riding Hood doesn't even call now. Even Little Bo Peep won't bring her sheep anywhere around me lest I 'violate' them.

Anonymous said...

Former Fla. Supreme Ct. Justice Cantero spotted in Au Bon cafe this morning, any ideas what he's doing int he REGB?

Anonymous said...

The ordinances causing the sex offenders to live under the bridge as if they were trolls instead of human beings, is just "feel-good" legislation with little, if any protective effect. These ordinances are just a cheap way for county and city commissioners to brag to constituents about what they are, supposedly, doing to protect our children by making it impossible for sex offenders to live in their cities or counties.

The ordinances require that sex offenders live more than 2,500 feet away of places where children congregate. Children don't congregate anywhere but their homes between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. which are the hours when the offenders have to be under the bridge. They can go anywhere else from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Maybe we need a law that prohibits county or city commissioners from being within 2,500 feet of the mansion, yacht or aircraft of any developer, lobbyist or campaign donor.

Anonymous said...

5:21:00 pm, are there any leaders in Dade County?

Anonymous said...

If this is the "ONLY" place in Dade county that a registered sex offender can live, then why aren't they ALL here?
There's more than 66 registered offenders in Dade County, no?
How come every couple of months I get a newspaper-like brochure from MDPD telling me of the sex offenders living in my area?
Mayor Alvarez's son, Carlos Jr., is a registered offender and he's not living under the bridge.
While I think being 'forced' to live here is outrageous, I wonder what other options are really out there.

Anonymous said...

My question for those crying over sexual predators is the following: What does Cuba, North Korea, Iran, or China do to these type of citizens in their respective countries? Do they even get to go to prison or are they dealt with in a swift manner?

Anonymous said...

Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and China would just execute the offender.

Anonymous said...

1:55 and 11:18, PLEASE post your names! You are both cowards. If your position is so reasonable what are you afraid of?

Anonymous said...

An 18 year old having sex with a 17 year old can't be charged for having consentual sex. With a 16 or 17 year old, the defendant must be 24 or older for it to be a consentual sex crime. An 18 year old with a 15 year old is a problem, by contrast. Not that it solves the problem, but lets not exaggerate what is illegal.

Anonymous said...

my favorite fishin holes along I-195 are full of perves. And it creeps me out the way they look at my bait

Anonymous said...

no Iran just lets you marry a 10 year old

Anonymous said...

You lawyers need to just shut up about freedom. Your appeals court judges think torture is OK. Your system routinely kills the innocent. You defense attorneys are nothing more than the nice SS guards; liberty’s last champion? Lady Liberty has been dead and buried for thirty years now.

Anonymous said...

Rump
I am so happy that the Fla Legislature balenced the State budget on the back of usunderpaid, no COLA in 3 years, State employees
D. Sisselman