Community Safety

Disturbed by stories about the rape and beatings of teens by supervisory staff and fellow detainees, Miami-Dade’s state attorney is asking a grand jury to investigate the Florida juvenile justice system.

On a Monday in early October, the top administrator at the the Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Bradenton, Florida issued a terse order to subordinates: “Do not flush.”

The effort is bringing together civic leaders, police, educators, community groups and religious leaders. The goals are to curb gang-related crime, help children stay out of gangs, and deal with emotional aftermath of violence.

While many students seem unaffected by the violence, medical experts say the mere knowledge of killings can cause them to experience their own trauma and lose their sense of safety.

Florida's Dept. of Juvenile Justice Secretary came out swinging against the Miami Herald Monday, saying the Fight Club investigation that uncovered the use of excessive force and other misconduct by agency staff depicted “isolated events."

When juvenile detention worker Uriah T. Harris heard the boys in his charge using profane language, he calmly offered a choice: they could be struck with a broom handle or receive demerits that could lengthen their stay. Many boys were hit with the broom.

The headlines generated by Angel Secundino's killing faded quickly. But his death links four generations still struggling with the regrets, emotional wreckage and fear that come when loved ones become immersed in the gang lifestyle.

This article and others in this series were produced as part of a project for the University of Southern California Center for Health Journalism’s National Fellowship, in conjunction with the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

This article and others in this series were produced as part of a project for the University of Southern California Center for Health Journalism’s National Fellowship, in conjunction with the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

This article and others in this series were produced as part of a project for the University of Southern California Center for Health Journalism’s National Fellowship, in conjunction with the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.