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Boot Camps to Close in FL

By TChris, Section Juvenile Offenders
Posted on Thu Jun 01, 2006 at 12:24:39 PM EST
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by TChris

Most laws named after crime victims are bad laws, but the Martin Lee Anderson Act is an exception. Martin died after he was beaten by guards at a Florida boot camp. (TalkLeft coverage of Martin's death is collected here.) The Martin Lee Anderson Act ends the "tough love" tactics employed by Florida boot camps.

They are to be replaced by less confrontational academies called Sheriff's Training and Respect, or STAR, that use more education and after care. The law shifts funding from the boot camps to STAR.

Martin's parents applaud the change, but they deserve more.

"But I would still like the guards to be accountable for killing my baby," Jones said, holding a picture of her son in a basketball uniform. "He was only 14."

A special prosecutor is deciding whether charges should be filed.

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    Boot Camps to Close in FL | 8 comments (8 topical)
    Re: Boot Camps to Close in FL (none / 0) (#1)
    by Aaron on Thu Jun 01, 2006 at 01:29:59 PM EST
    It sounds like they're just changing the name as a PR ploy. Usually such facilities are hideouts for rejects from law enforcement and the military who are either wholly incompetent or are racist sadists who get their kicks by abusing anybody that's not white, and spend their days working out their personal problems on the job. And more often than not they get away with it until somebody dies or is seriously injured at their hands, as in this case. (Welcome to Central Florida, the armpit of the South). What these camps should be doing is instilling some self-esteem in these kids and providing them with some real education and trade skills, so when they get out they'll have some options other than returning to criminal behavior. But then of course the state would have to hire qualified educated personnel who would want to be paid a living wage for their work, something that isn't very popular with Southern Republican governors like Jeb Bush, who mostly view these young people as write-offs.

    Re: Boot Camps to Close in FL (none / 0) (#2)
    by cpinva on Thu Jun 01, 2006 at 01:51:10 PM EST
    maybe they need nifong down there, these guys would have been indicted already.

    Re: Boot Camps to Close in FL (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Jun 01, 2006 at 05:39:06 PM EST
    well, if a soldier can be convicted for letting his dog bark too close to a prisoners face, surely we can convict these guys.

    Re: Boot Camps to Close in FL (none / 0) (#4)
    by Johnny on Fri Jun 02, 2006 at 04:28:54 AM EST
    well, if a soldier can be convicted for letting his dog bark too close to a prisoners face, surely we can convict these guys.
    Well, suffocating a 14 year old is a sound tactic to ensure future obediance. Instead of stomping this kid to death, they could have just put out a call to a couple rednecks to bring their dogs down and bark at him...

    Re: Boot Camps to Close in FL (none / 0) (#5)
    by Slado on Fri Jun 02, 2006 at 07:55:16 AM EST
    Did anyone ever think this was a good idea? I mean these kids are bad news and come from pretty rough neighborhoods etc... and some guys yelling at them is supposed to set them straight. There are plenty of examples of jails/prisons that focus on activities and education actually save some of thise kids. It looks like yelling and pushups weren't doing the trick so the guards started using other means to inflict rehabilitation.

    Re: Boot Camps to Close in FL (none / 0) (#6)
    by Sailor on Fri Jun 02, 2006 at 08:58:18 AM EST
    I mean these kids are bad news
    the kid was an honor student that took his grandma's car for a joy ride while he was on probation for trespassing at his school. the thugs at the bootcamp murdered him and tried to cover it up.

    Re: Boot Camps to Close in FL (none / 0) (#7)
    by Slado on Fri Jun 02, 2006 at 09:16:06 AM EST
    Sailor take your partisan glasses off for two seconds and realize that I agree with you. Geeez. I said kids. Not kid. Are you trying to tell me that the majority of these kids are not repeat criminals? Not every thread has to be a partisan attack fest. Why not blame this on GW Bush while your at it?

    Re: Boot Camps to Close in FL (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jul 07, 2006 at 02:14:44 PM EST
    Will someone tell me what the he-- was that nurse doing standing there watching a child being murdered.

    Boot Camps to Close in FL | 8 comments (8 topical)