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| Miami-Dade juvenile agency begins `sweeping reform' |
| By South Florida Sun-Sentinel |
| Published: 09/06/2004 |
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In a move to correct deficiencies at a Miami-Dade County (Fla.) juvenile detention center where a 17-year-old died last year, Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Anthony Schembri has fired the center's superintendent and imposed "sweeping reform." Schembri announced last Monday that he fired superintendent Willie Carl Westley, a 30-year corrections veteran appointed in April to institute new training and safety procedures at the Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center. Westley "failed to bring about the necessary changes" at the center, which in its most recent review did not meet the department's minimum standards in five of 10 areas, Schembri said. "This is totally unacceptable," Schembri said in a prepared statement. "This center has had ample time to straighten out these issues. I have no choice but to take immediate action." The latest changes come more than a year after Omar Paisley died from a ruptured appendix after suffering three days of agony in which the teen received no medical attention despite his pleas to officers, center supervisors and nurses. In the wake of his death, a Miami-Dade grand jury indicted two nurses, Gaile Tucker Loperfido and Dianne Marie Demeritte, on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter for their alleged indifference. Paisley's death also led to the firing of 14 workers and to the ouster of then-Secretary Bill Bankhead. Juvenile Justice officials vowed to prevent future tragedies, but in the past year have had trouble implementing needed changes. On Monday, Schembri announced that the center had failed to properly document inmates' mental health history, conduct proper disciplinary passages and adequately store medication. The review found a system riddled with problems ranging from employees not consistently checking on suicidal youth and lax inventory on medications and syringes, to superintendents not reviewing reports, the department said. Juvenile Justice officials also cited security problems, including an inoperable exterior gate and multiple doors that were left open. Though the last fire inspection found more than 20 violations, there was no documentation on how these violations were corrected, they said. Regional director Walt Davis will temporarily oversee the center to correct the problems, Schembri said. In other moves, a team of professionals will be assigned to the center to train its management team and ensure future changes are made. Schembri also announced that the regional juvenile director's office will be moved from North Miami into the Miami-Dade juvenile justice complex and that detention center assistant superintendents will now be required to wear uniforms. |
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