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Trial & litigation Section Chair : KristinA . Norse – Kynes , Markman & Felman , PA
Crossroads For Florida Kids , Inc . is a non-profit organization founded in 2012 that trains and mentors pro bono attorneys to represent disadvantaged children in Hillsborough County in their dependency and delinquency cases . For many years , our attorneys have appeared in two local juvenile specialty courts , the Juvenile Mental Health Court and OPTION Court . Today , we shine a light on the important work these two courts do to improve the lives of children in our community .
Juvenile Mental Health Court ( JMHC )
Chief Judge Ficarrotta reports that “ the 13th Circuit has a long and robust history of leading in the area of therapeutic and rehabilitative courts .” In 2016 , he created our Adult Mental Health Court , and in 2019 he started the first Juvenile Mental Health Court ( JMHC ) in Florida . JMHC targets juvenile offenders found incompetent to proceed based on either age and immaturity , mental illness , and / or intellectual disability , or by agreement . It also supervises and provides services to some juveniles in diversion cases . Stakeholders include the State Attorney , Public Defender , Private Attorneys , Attorneys ad Litem , Hillsborough County School District , DJJ , DCF
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and APD . JMHC provides competency restoration training and treatment plans , and engages the juveniles and their families in services . To date , the Office of the Public Defender has represented 247 juveniles in 864 cases .
Chief Judge Ficarrotta describes presiding over JMHC cases as “ overall the most rewarding work he [ has ] done in 28 years on the bench .” He notes that many of the children who appear in JMHC “ have never received any positive encouragement about where they are and what their future could be .” In JMHC it is common to hear the Chief Judge praise a child for good grades , a job , or any other success , and to see the child react with a big smile .
Crossroads ’ Attorney Gil Singer , in his own words , about representing a client in JMHC : “ Representing JJ was an eye-opening experience . The child was intellectually disabled , had a seizure disorder , and was living in a hot van with an abusive mother and little food . He was also one of the kindest , nicest youths I ever encountered . Crossroads provided him school clothes and shoes , and advocated for him at JMHC hearings . Judge Ficarrotta was incredibly supportive of JJ , as he is of every child in his Court . Through his efforts and ours , JJ is now in an APD group home with his brother — happy and well cared for . The system works well when the judges are outstanding and the children have the extra support of Crossroads lawyers .”
OPTION Court
As Associate Administrative Judge of the Dependency Crossover Division , Circuit Court Judge Robert Bauman presides over both delinquency and dependency divisions . One of the things he noticed when he first arrived was the disturbing number of children who were victims of human trafficking . To help victims , he founded OPTION Court in 2019 . Many children who appear in OPTION Court have suffered extreme trauma , leading them into the foster care system . Their trauma and unstable lives make them prey for traffickers . But , changes do occur , with successes often measured in small steps , as Judge Bauman describes : “ Success comes in various measures : it is efforts to get a youth a safe placement , and the youth not returning to the trafficker ; it can be as little as the youth not running for a period of time — for some even a day or week can be a success ; placement in a safe house ; enrollment in school ; providing a trustworthy survivor-mentor ; placement with appropriate service
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