around department of djj newslettertino hernandez. mr. ginsberg was also the former president of the...

Around DJJ

Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mayor Spring 2000 Tino Hernandez, Commissioner

TheNew York CityDepartment ofJuvenile JusticeNewsletter

By Rudolph W. Giuliani

Continued on page 3 Continued on page 2

By Sarina Roffé,Director of Public Affairs

Juvenile Counselors (JCs) in se-cure detention are vital personnelin the Department of Juvenile Jus-tice. They are the direct child carestaff who provide custody for resi-dents and see to their daily needs.Because of this role, JCs spendmore direct time and have moreinfluence on juveniles in securedetention than other employees.

DJJ views a youth�s time in se-cure detention as an opportunityfor positive intervention. The fol-lowing article is an example of theimpact a few JCs had on a formerresident. The name has beenchanged to protect the privacy ofthe youth.

When Miguel recently visitedSpofford, the detention center nowknown as Bridges Juvenile Center, herealized how much his life hadchanged. Greeted by Gilbert Gomez,one of the Juvenile Counselors as-signed to his former hall, Miguel washappy to report that his life was on apositive and productive track.

�I see hundreds of residents. If Icould make a difference with one,then it�s worth it. I am glad to hear youare doing well,� said an emotional Mr.Gomez, now an Associate JuvenileCounselor I.

Former Resident�Beats the Odds�

On the verge of graduating from aBronx high school, Miguel is alreadytaking classes at a local college, wherehe will pursue a degree in criminaljustice with a $5,000 scholarship fromthe Children�s Defense Fund called�Beating the Odds.� His success wasrecently the subject of a feature storyin the New York Daily News, NewYork 1 and other media.

A former resident of Spofford,Miguel, 17, has beaten the odds againsthim. By the age of three, he was infoster care and at age 13, the fostermother he loved died suddenly.

With his family in turmoil, Miguelgot into trouble with the law and wassent to detention until his case wasresolved. He was released after sevenmonths and placed on probation.When Miguel returned to school, he

A few weeks ago, 21,000 enu-merators from the U.S. Census Bu-reau started visitingthe homes and apart-ments of New YorkCity residents who didnot respond to themailed census forms.The U.S. Census

determines how muchmoney New York City receives fromthe federal governments and howmany representatives we send toCongress. Since every year the Citysends roughly $9 billion more to Wash-ington, D.C. than it gets in return, anaccurate Census count could begin tocorrect this striking imbalance. I urgeall the New Yorkers who did not fillout their forms to cooperate with theenumerators.

The enumerators will only visithouseholds from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. andwill announce themselves as Censuscounters and display their Census iden-tification cards.

New Yorkers should participate inthe Census without putting themselvesat risk. City-issued photo identifica-tion cards will allow people, especiallysenior citizens, to verify that the per-

Census 2000:New York City isCounting on You

Miguel with CourtServices JuvenileCounselor WilliamBarraka. At right:Gilberto Gomez, Bridges AJC I.

Around DJJ

Published by

City of New YorkDept. of Juvenile Justice

MayorRudolph W. Giuliani

CommissionerTino Hernandez

Director of Public AffairsSarina Roffé, Editor

365 BroadwayNew York, N.Y. 10013

Tel. (212) 925-7779 ext. 205Web Site: www.nyclink.org/nycdjj

[email protected]

Spring 2000/Around DJJ

Commissioner Tino Hernandez,Mayor Rudolph W. Giuiani, then-Deputy Mayor Ninfa Segarra andrepresentatives of the Department ofJuvenile Justice attended the Decem-ber groundbreaking ceremony for anew youth center to be built in HuntsPoint, adjacent to the Manida ballfields and the newly renovatedBridges Juvenile Center.

�This center will provide area youthwith a place to play volleyball andbasketball, run track, perform in dancerecitals or theatrical productions, andengage in positive activities in theirown communities,� said MayorGiuliani at the center�s ground break-ing ceremony.

Located at 765 Manida Street, be-tween Spofford and Lafayette Av-

Officials Break Ground forHunts Point Youth Center

By Nikita Banks,Public Affairs Intern

enues, then e w1 5 , 0 0 0 -s q u a r e -foot facil-ity is ex-pected tocost thecity ap-proximately $5 million. The youth cen-ter will include a mezzanine level track,a multi-purpose recreation room forvolleyball and gymnastics, and a stageon the main level for dance perfor-mances and theater.

In addition, there will be a sittingarea, an outdoor basketball court andoutdoor landscaping. The center isexpected to be completed this fall.

�This center represents the fulfill-ment of the City�s commitment tobuild a new Hunts Point for all itsresidents,� said then-Deputy MayorSegarra.

With her departure, Deputy MayorRudy Washington is now overseeingthe completion of the new youth cen-ter center along with the City�s De-partment of Design and Construction.

The new youth center will giveHunts Point youth a creative outletintended to lead them away fromdetention behavior and toward suc-cess.

�This new youth recreation centerwill serve to create more opportuni-ties and build better lives for the youthof the Hunts Point community,� saidCommissioner Hernandez, whosought funding for the project.

Joining the Mayor at thegroundbreaking were Department ofDesign and Construction Acting Com-missioner Kenneth R. Holden, De-

partment of Parks and RecreationCommissioner Henry J. Stern, Coun-cil Members Kenneth Fisher andPedro Espada and representativesfrom the local community board.

L to R: City Council Members Kenneth Fisher and Pedro Espada,Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, then-Deputy Mayor Ninfa Segarra, DDCCommissioner Ken Holden, Parks Commissioner Henry Stern andDJJ Commissioner Tino Hernandez.

Continued from page 1

Mayor's Messagecont'd

son for whom they are opening theirdoor is a legitimate enumerator andnot an imposter attempting to commita crime.

Many Census counters wear thinred or white mesh vests with thewords �United States Census� in whitelettering and carry a black tote bag,containing questionnaire kits.

For general information call 1-888-722-8995. Social Security numbersare not required for the Census ques-tionnaire. Please remember that youranswers are protected. The Census isstrictly confidential

No one wants to see the City con-tinue to thrive make even moreprogress more than I do. We can helpmake that a reality by providing anaccurate count for New York City toget our fair and equitable share of ouroverall contribution to the federal gov-ernment. I urge all New Yorkers tostand up and be counted.

Youth Center


Commissioner's Message

Jerome M. Ginsberg, Chair of theDJJ Advisory Board, passed away onSunday, March 26, just short of his61st birthday. Mr. Ginsberg, a father,husband, lawyer, author, FulbrightScholar, and friend will be misseddearly.

Mr. Ginsberg worked closely withDJJ�s executive staff since his ap-pointment as chair in 1995 on a num-ber of different matters. �Jerry wasan effective leader at DJJ. We willmiss him here,� said CommissionerTino Hernandez.

Mr. Ginsberg was also the formerPresident of the Queens County Bar

DJJ�s 20th Anniversary is draw-ing to a close. Our final activity, anexhibit depicting 200 years of juve-nile detention history in New YorkCity, was unveiled last month atJohn Jay College. The exhibit gaveus an important historical perspec-tive on DJJ�s role and importance inthe juvenile justice system as weknow it today.

A century ago, the City relied onHouses of Refuge for waywardand delinquent children. The pas-sage of various federal and statelaws changed the identity of whowould be placed in these homes.The passage of the Family CourtAct in New York State providedfor the Family Court system. A1967 Supreme Court decision al-lowed juveniles the right to dueprocess.

In the 70s, the federal govern-ment decided that PINS (persons inneed of supervision) should not beplaced with juvenile delinquents.This policy change essentiallychanged the face of Spofford Juve-

nile Center. The passage of theJuvenile Offender Act during thesame period, required Spofford tobe retrofitted as a secure detentionfacility.

The creation of DJJ in 1979changed how the City provided ser-vices in detention.

Since 1979, DJJ has developedmodel services in detention and ef-fective community-based interven-tions for juvenile justice-involvedyouth. DJJ is now embarking on itsnext 20 years, and given our recordover time, I know we will continueto improve.

Association, and the Network of BarLeaders. He was the recipient ofmany honors including the QueensLawyers Club Award, the QueensCounty Bar Association Award ofMerit and the Man of Honor Award.

Linda Fedrizzi, Mr. Ginsberg�s lawpartner describes him as, �a selflessindividual who worked tirelessly topromote the interests of members ofthe bar and members of the commu-nity in which he served in variouscapacities.� Mr. Ginsberg will be re-membered as a dedicated attorneywho contributed in many ways to DJJand the City of New York.

had to work hard to catch up to theother 10th graders in his class. Thenext year his foster father died.

Despite these challenges, Miguelwas made stronger and encouragedby the guidance he received from theJCs, who were positive role modelsfor him in secure detention. Now as ahigh school senior, Miguel is receiv-ing A�s and B�s. He is vice presidentof a school volunteer organization andplays on the varsity basketball team.

�Today, I live in a group home andfeel I�ve come a long way. I hope tocontinue to do better. I will be the firstin my family to finish high school andgo to college,� said Miguel, who viewshis time in detention as a turning pointfor his life.

He attributes this change to thecaring teachers at his high school andto the support and dedication he feltfrom the JCs responsible for his wellbeing.

Beating the OddsContinued from page 1

Residents at Horizon were inter-viewed recently about their feelingstoward JCs. Here are some of theircomments, as per the April residentnewsletter, Horizon Skies.

About Mr. C. Jones, a resident said,�He has given me positive adviceduring my time at Horizon. I�ll neverforget him.�

A resident describing Mr. R. Fletesaid, �He shows us respect and itsappreciated on both sides."

A resident said that Mr. B. Payne�knows how to handle things on theHall. He has a strong influence onus.�

Residents Respect JCs

In Memoriam: Jerome Ginsberg

DJJ staff are saddened at the lossof Willa Taylor, Senior Cook at Hori-zon Juvenile Center. Ms. Taylorpassed away on April 18, 2000.

Willa Taylor Passes On


By Michael Sachse, Urban Fellow

On December 27, 1999, DJJ re-turned to the Spofford Avenue deten-tion facility now known as BridgesJuvenile Center.

The move marked the completionof an $8 million renovation to part ofthe building and the end to DJJ�s useof the Vernon C. Bain Center.

Opened as Youth House in 1957,and later renamed Spofford JuvenileCenter, Spofford has stood at thecenter of juvenile justice in New Yorkfor over four decades. During thattime, it has undergone many transfor-mations � both physically and in ad-

DJJ Returns to Renovated Spoffordministration.

Spofford was originally designed tohouse Persons in Need of Supervision(PINS) and juvenile delinquents. In1978, as the needs of detentionchanged with the passage of the Ju-venile Offender Act, Spofford wasretrofitted as a secure detention facil-ity for alleged delinquents and Juve-nile Offenders.

A year later, the Department ofJuvenile Justice was created, in partso that it could oversee the construc-tion of new facilities and the closing ofSpofford. As planned, the combinedcapacity of Horizon and Crossroadswas 248 beds (124 per facility) how-

Bridges Juvenile Centerever, a surge in the juvenile detentionpopulation that began in late 90s leftthe agency searching for room for itsresidents.

Renovating three wings of theSpofford facility allowed DJJ to meetthe need for space while addressingmany of the problems that garneredcriticism in the past.

The newly occupied sections of thebuilding have improved lighting, a sub-stantially upgraded fire safety sys-tem, an improved security system,improved living areas, new furnitureand floors, along with new coats ofpaint and a fully refurbished gymna-sium.

Bridges Juvenile Center is beingused as an intake and admissionsfacility for new admissions and as atransfer point for youth awaiting place-ment with the New York State Officeof Children and Family Services.

By Marianela Virella,NSD Field Coordinator

The past few months have beenbusy for NSD residents, who partici-pated in a wide range of recreationaland educational activities.

Residents of 145th Street entered acitywide poster contest on DomesticViolence. The goals of the school-based project were to help alert teensto the dangers of domestic violenceand speak out against abusive rela-tionships. Understanding the magni-tude of dating violence motivated resi-dents to elaborate on numerous posterthemes that included �Abuse is neverO.K.�

For Black History Month, NSDresidents were exposed to the richculture and traditions of the AfricanDiaspora. 145th Street residents at-tended a Martin Luther King Jr. cer-emony at Brooklyn Academy of Mu-sic. Beach Avenue residents attendeda civil rights play at Mind Builders in

the Bronx and Camillus residentswatched the �Roots� video series toexamine the struggles and victories ofAfrican American ancestors.

Lenox House hosted a Black His-tory celebration with St. John's and145th Street which included a soulfood buffet, a play on Rosa Parks anda reading of the renowned �I Have aDream� speech.

Also in February, Boys TownBrooklyn residents primed their lyri-cal skills at a two-day music work-shop at the Platinum House recordstudio. There, residents got aninsider�s view on musical engineeringand were advised on how to make aneffective �demo� tape.

This musical experience allowedresidents to exercise their creativetalents and explore positive careerchoices. Further career investiga-tions at NSD have included a MonroeBusiness College campus tour forSheltering Arms residents. The infor-mational tour comprised of visiting

NSD Activities Provide Academic and Cultural Enrichment

Monroe Business College�s state ofthe art library and sitting in on Busi-ness Management and ComputerScience classes.

NSD residents took a school trip tothe Museum of Natural History thatfeatured exhibits on animal migrationand rare species. The school alsotrekked to the Museum of the MovingImage where they viewed classicmovies.

With the arrival of spring, manyNSD residents have been focusingon horticulture activities includingplanting vegetable and flower gar-dens.

NSD residents tie-dye shirts.


Crossroads Juvenile Center

By Winifred York,Recreation Manager

Crossroads residents took a tripdown �History Lane� through dance,song, film, art, drama, sports, literary,and even culinary delights as staffworked hard to ensure that each wereprovided with an understanding ofBlack History in February.

Each morning, the residents listenedto the Black (Negro) National An-them, �Lift Every Voice and Sing.� ACrossroads film festival consisted ofa series of films including historical(Eyes on the Prize), classical (ARaisin in the Sun), comedy (Comingto America), youth (Sarafina), fam-ily (The Piano Lesson), and struggle(Sounder). The residents discussedthe films, the terms and phases used

and expressed how each film did ordid not relate to them.

This year the residents were al-lowed to express themselves through,�Black Art.� The residents createdtie-dye and patchwork quilts, posters,jewelry and masks, which were dis-played in the gymnasium.

Crossroads was fortunate enoughto have outside groups participate inthe space celebration.

�The Jackie Robinson Band� pre-sented a well-received performanceofmusic, dance, and stepping. The Foun-tain Church of Christ entertained resi-dents with gospel music and words ofinspiration. Diane Hodges and theHallelujah Production performeddrama, praise dancing, and song.

Dishes from every culture within

Residents Stride Down Black "History Lane"

the African Diaspora made the soulfood luncheon a huge success. Therewas more than enough food to feedresidents as well as the staff on allthree tours.

The culmination of the Black His-tory Month festivities, our soul foodluncheon, is indicative of the fact thatthe Crossroads staff work together.

Note: The Crossroads staff bas-ketball team recently won chal-lenges with the Department of Cor-rection and DJJ�s Court ServicesUnit.

By Liz Russo,Director of Program Services

Community-based organizations(CBOs) provide an array of programsin detention such as yoga, meditation,music, art and workshops that focuson substance abuse prevention, con-flict resolution, violence preventionand peer leadership training throughrole playing.

The year 2000 began with a focuson outcome-oriented services that canbe monitored for both efficacy andquality. A new process was devel-oped to screen CBO programs so thatthey are tailored to the services andneeds of juveniles in detention.

When a community partner wantsto provide services or program indetention, a Service ProvidersWorkgroup reviews the proposal.

CBO�s Enhance Programs for Residents in Secure DetentionThe Workgroup and the partners thenwork to tailor the services to theneeds of the juveniles in detention.

To ensure the user-friendliness ofthe services, DJJ includes input fromthe Residents� Council, the voice ofthe "consumers." Thus, services aredeveloped and implemented via athreefold approach that includes DJJadministrators, service providers, andresidents. To date, five partnershipshave been established through thisprocess.

The Lineage Project, under the lead-ership of Soren Gordhamer, providesyoga and meditation.

Hassan Yassin and Liza Perez fromGiant Thinking, assist the residentswith conflict resolution and healthydecision-making.

Narconon, Inc. is a substance useprevention project sponsored by Naim

Rashid and Daniel Lir.Hospital Audiences Inc., under the

coordination of Benjamin Rosado, pro-vides interactive role-play workshopsfocusing on violence prevention andpeer leadership.

War Child USA through HeatherHarding La Garde and Paul Thomp-son will be providing music and artsworkshops.

Quarterly meetings with the com-munity based organizations allow fordiscussion on monitoring services,quality assurance, obstacles and solu-tions, and moving toward a stream-lined service delivery system.

DJJ has a history of establishingcollaborative efforts with communitybased organizations. The linkagesallow the Department to provide addi-tional services to DJJ's residents.

Maurice Gadson, Director ofSupport Services, talks toresidents about Black History.


Accolades

Spencer Standford, an AssociateJuvenile Counselor II, was recentlyhonored as Detention Worker of theYear by the Juvenile Detention Asso-ciation of New York.

Commissioner Tino Hernandez pre-sented Mr. Standford with the awardat a special session of the Manage-ment Staff and Court Services staffat Horizon Juvenile Center.

Mr. Standford�s presence in theCourt Services/Transportation Unithas been critical. His steady hand hashelped guide the division through 20years of change, as the agency�soperations have expanded and be-come more diverse. Since he hasbeen involved in the transport of juve-niles to the state Office of Childrenand Family Services, there has neverbeen an escape, attempted escape,incident or accident.

Mr. Standford has worked in juve-nile justice since 1969, when he joinedthe NYC Department of Probation(which ran Spofford at the time) as aJuvenile Counselor. He was acknowl-edged from the start as a talentedworker. As Deputy CommissionerCleophus Glass observes, �it was rec-ognized very early that Mr. Standfordhad effective counseling skills andwas excellent at maintaining controlof challenging juveniles.�

Within three years, Mr. Standfordtransferred to the Court Services Unit,which was responsible for transpor-tation of juveniles. Mr. Standford dem-onstrated skill and grace in his han-dling of difficult residents. For hisefforts, Mr. Standford was promotedto Assistant Director of Court Ser-vices in 1975. He served diligentlyand reliably in that capacity for 19years.

Standford Named Detention Worker of the Year by JDA of NY

In 1994, Mr. Standford was pro-moted to Associate Juvenile Counse-lor I, and named Fleet Coordinator forCourt Services. As his job grew in

importance, Mr. Standford navigatedhis expanded duties without a hitch.

He coordinated a fleet that hasgrown from 20 to 48 vehicles, andhelped DJJ expand its transportationservices to the new secure and non-secure facilities.

Now Mr. Standford is an AssociateJuvenile Counselor II and supervisesthe transportation of youth to andfrom courts in all five boroughs, aswell as the agency fleet.

�I think he represents the multitudeof Juvenile Justice employees thatquietly go about their work in an unas-suming manner and make the wheelsof the system move efficiently,� saidDeputy Commissioner Glass.

By Sarina Roffé,Director of Public Affairs

Wanda Osorio was honored asthe Employee of the Third Quarterfor the Quality of Work Life pro-gram during a special recognitionceremony in March at CentralOffice.

Ms Osorio joined DJJ three yearsago as a volunteer in the Volunteersfor Youth Program. She was assignedto the Reduce Children�s Violence(RCV) Program, where she demon-strated her sincere dedication to theadolescents in the program.

After her volunteer experience, Ms.Osorio was hired by DJJ as a casemanager. She now works in the CBIPrevention program (formerly RCV),in the Bronx and Manhattan.

From the beginning, it was clearthat Ms. Osorio always had the best

Osorio Named Employee for 3rd Quarter

interests of theyouth as her pri-mary concern. Shewas like a big sis-ter and mentor forthe youth , giving

unselfishly to the clients and theirfamilies.

The employee who nominated Ms.Osorio described her as having �em-pathy and respect for the families andclients with whom she works.�

They also noted that she develops�highly creative responses to prob-lems� often going outside of the usual�box� to resolve problems.�

The ceremony presenters agreedthat Ms. Osorio exemplifies the beststandards of conduct, professional-ism and dedication to work.

L to R: Horizon Executive DirectorStephanie Prussack, Honoree SpencerStandford, Commissioner Hernandezand Deputy Commissioner Glass.

Wanda Osorio


By Lauren Brown,Public Affairs Assistant

Ed �the Glider� Charles, thirdbaseman for the 1969 New YorkMets Championship team, retiredFriday, April 28 from the Departmentof Juvenile Justice. Charles workedas DJJ�s School Liaison to the Boardof Education�s Youth Option�s Un-limited (Y.O.U) School for 13 years.A luncheon was held in his honorMay 5. Commissioner TinoHernandez, members of the 1969Mets, NSD residents and Mr. Charles�DJJ colleagues attended the luncheon.

For over 16 years Ed Charles madehis living at third base. After years inthe minor leagues, he broke into themajors with the Kansas City Royals in1962. In 1967, he was traded to theNew York Mets. Mr. Charles retiredfrom baseball after the euphoria ofthe �69 season. He finished his careeras what Sports Illustrated called, �oneof the steadier performers in NewYork�s long and ignominious line ofthird basemen.�

Charles spent a few years in therecord business, and worked for nineyears as a baseball scout, before heagreed to coach the Mets rookie-league team in Kingsport, Tennessee.It was there that Charles discoveredhow much help he could offer youngpeople. �The rookies were generally17 or 18,� Mr. Charles said, �So youmight be teaching them baseball, butyou were also a father figure. Youhad to help them deal with their prob-lems and protect them from the pit-falls, like drinking and drugs.�

Mr. Charles brought that same car-ing wisdom to the Department ofJuvenile Justice when he joined theagency as a house parent at the Beach

Former NY Met Ed Charles Bids DJJ FarewellAvenue non-secure detention facility in1987. Later, Charles was assigned asDJJ Liaison at the Y.O.U. School, wherehe worked directly with Board of Educa-tion teachers and other school personnel.Throughout his career with the agency,Mr. Charles has offered at-riskyouth much needed guidance.�People call me a father figure.I don�t mind,� Charles said,�Some of these kids never had afather figure, and if that�s whatthey need, it�s fine with me.�

Mr. Charles worked to com-bine the gifts baseball had givenhim with his desire to give back.He used his Championship ringto draw reluctant youth intomeaningful conversations. Dur-ing the summers he organizedsports clinics and competitionsamong the agency�s grouphomes and secure detention fa-cilities that have been a point ofboth enjoyment and engagement for resi-dents.

Throughout his career with DJJ, Mr.Charles has demonstrated the same sortof confidence and direction that earnedhim the nickname �the Glider� as aballplayer. Commissioner TinoHernandez called Charles �a remark-able employeeand a true rolemodel. EdC h a r l e sbrought thesame winningattitude he hadwith the Metsto youngpeople in needof hope andguidance. Wewill miss himhere at DJJ.�

Accolades

Top: Mr. Charles receives an awardfrom Commissioner Hernandez.Middle: Ed Charles laughs as herelaxesin his new recliner, a giftfrom Mets co-team members.Bottom: NSD Executive DirectorAlex Figueroa presents Ed Charleswith a watch as a gift from all thepeople who worked with him.


Horizon Juvenile Center

By Tim Rollins, artistA new bronze statue depicting two

boys sitting on a bench, was installedin the courtyard of Horizon JuvenileCenter in January. The statue, alongwith three paintings in the lobby, weredeveloped by residents of the formerSpofford facility.

In 1992, I, Tim Rollins, and K.O.S.(Kids of Survival), an internationally-recognized South Bronx-based artteam, were commissioned to createseveral major works of art for thenew juvenile detention center beingbuilt in the Bronx.

The themes for the artwork weredeveloped and created in collabora-tion with Spofford residents, as wellas staff of the Department of JuvenileJustice.

After months and months of meet-ings with administrative, planning, pro-gramming, and teaching staff, andafter reviewing several proposals, boththe clients and I finally agreed to drawinspiration from the two great pillarsof classical world literature, Homer�sThe Iliad and The Odyssey.

Working in close cooperation withstaff from the Carter G. WoodsonAcademy, the school then located atSpofford, I began a series of work-shops with six residents, who showedan interest in art.

The rigorous and intense workshopsconcentrated on creating designs forthree huge paintings based on TheOdyssey and planned for permanentexhibition in the lobby of the HorizonJuvenile Center. The largest paintingmeasures 8 x 12 feet. As part of thisprocess, students read and memo-rized passages from the ancient poem,which documents Odysseus� returnhome after years of war and recklessadventure.

New Statue Depicts Themes From The Iliad and The Odyssey

The students created the wingsthat would have the power to returneach resident home. The studentsstudied the history of the image of thewing throughout world art and cul-ture. They began with the wings ofblack angels during the period ofEthiopia Zion, and moved on to wingsdepicted by Giotto, Fra Angelico andother Renaissance artists. Finally, theystudied wings found on the super he-roes of contemporary popular comicbooks. Each student created severalvariations on their unique and per-sonal wings, producing finished wa-tercolors on paper.

The students, in collaboration withK.O.S., also created an abstract paint-ing representing the Shield of Achil-les. The huge 8 x 8 foot paintingdepicts a circular form in gold andlight blue which refers to the mytho-logical shield that protects Achillesfrom his own rage and hints to a largeeye, the form of eternity and theancient map of the cosmos.

K.O.S. and I then composed, en-larged and painted the designs of theSpofford residents onto a ground ofbook pages torn from copies of TheOdyssey and glued on stretched linen.

These paintings were installed in thelobby of the Horizon Juvenile Centerin early 1998.

In addition to the lobby paintings, amajor sculpture in bronze and stonewas designed for the inner courtyardat Horizon. Also based directly onHomer�s Iliad and Odyssey, the sculp-ture depicts two extremely life-likeyouths, both in contemporary urbanstreet dress, sitting beside one an-other reading a large book that restson their laps. Upon closer inspection,the viewer soon discovers that onefigure is literally the mirror image ofthe other, as if identical twins werestudying the text together.

On the lap of one student, a pagefrom the over-sized book holds a quotefrom the Goddess Athena who, in theIliad tells Achilles �Down from theskies I come to check your rage if onlyyou will yield.� The child depicted inbronze represents Achilles. The otherfigure represents Odysseus and readsthe quote drawn from his words in theOdyssey, �All I have longed for thisis to see my day of homecoming.�

The sculpture suggests, like Homer,that the self-destructive, uncontrolled,rage of Achilles and the capacity forself-redemption possessed byOdysseus are the two parts of everyhuman personality, constantly in con-flict and in need of concern, compas-sion and love.

The art was a project of DJJ, theDepartment of Citywide Administra-tive Services and the Department ofCultural Affairs Percent for Art Pro-gram.

K.O.S. and I received an Awardfor Excellence in Design in 1996 fromthe Art Commission of New York, forthe art design during a ceremony atCity Hall.


During the win-ter, residents ofHorizon JuvenileCenter joined withstaff to form aResident�s Coun-cil. At the firstCouncil meeting members suggestedthat residents create a newsletter.The newsletter, Horizon Skies, wasdesigned to offer residents a creativeoutlet and a forum for their opinions.

The residents took their ideas toGloria Anderson, the Network Ad-ministrator at Horizon. Inspired bythe resident�s initiative, Ms. Ander-son volunteered to organize and runcomputer workshops in the eveningsfor the residents.

Supported by her technical exper-tise, the newsletter staff assembledtheir first issue, which was distributedin February 2000.

�The kids are actually doing thework and are accepting poems and

Residents Launch Horizon Skies Newsletterby Susan Lukin,Case Manager

other contributions from other chil-dren on all Halls to be included in thenext issue,� said Ms. Anderson.

�I�m amazed at their remarkabletalent. Some collaborate and somework independently�they know theirown strengths and weaknesses. Theresidents are very motivated aboutwhat they wanted to do. Many of theresidents have very limited experi-ence with computers and they havejust blossomed,� said Ms. Anderson.

Culminating their study of the Ho-locaust, youth in Rebecca Weinstein�ssocial studies class and AndreaDorsey�s English class at PassagesAcademy in Horizon Juvenile Centerlistened to presentations from twoHolocaust survivors: Bernard Gotfrydand Dr. Eric Nash. "Facing Historyand Ourselves,"a non-profit or-ganization thati n t r o d u c e sschools to theHolocaust, ar-ranged the vis-its.

B e r n a r dGotfryd, writer, photographer, Holo-caust survivor and author of Antonthe Dove Fancier, a book that dis-cusses the capacity of the humanspirit, explained his book to the youngpeople and discussed his past.

�We have something in common,�he began as he spoke to his audienceof Horizon residents. �We all havebeen in prison. I was in prison for sixyears.�

Mr. Gotfryd recalled what he en-dured as an inmate in the Nazi con-centration camps during World WarII, his horrifying experiences, and hissurvival methods. �The one thing theycould not take away from me thoughwas the ability to dream and have anounce of hope.�

The boys and girls listened to hisstory with great attention, interest,and sincerity. �I was probably the ageof many of you when I was taken tothe camps, I was 15 years old,� hesaid.

He lost both of his parents and was

Holocaust Survivors Speak to Students in Passages Academyseparated from his siblings during theHolocaust. Fortunately, he landeddecent jobs working in factories runby the Nazis during the six years thathe was in the camps. These jobs kepthim alive, while most Jews were killed.

Dr. Nash also addressed the young-sters and discussed how he was for-tunate to have survived the concen-tration camps. As a skilled doctor, Dr.Nash performed medical proceduresduring the war at the Nazis� request.Dr. Nash said that he kept goingbecause he didn�t believe the war

Passages Academy

would last as long as it did. Dr. Nashlost his entire family, including hisyoung wife and son.

The youth had prepared to meet thesurvivors and had questions ready atthe end of the presentations. Theyasked how the survivors feel aboutGermans today and whether they haveever gone back to Europe to visit thecamps.

The young people approached thesurvivors after the presentation forautographs and presented them withgifts.

Gloria Anderson

Residents use the computer lab.


Bernard Gotfryd

Community-Based Intervention


This year has been full of excitinginitiatives for the Department�sCommunity Based Intervention (CBI)Program. It has been a period ofchange and growth as DJJ has lookedfor new ways to enhance interventionservices and attract additional fundingto this unit.

DJJ has strengthened the infrastruc-ture of its community-based program-ming while offering more compre-hensive and consistent services. Inaddition to merging post-detention andprevention services, CBI has adopteda new approach to case management� a strength-based, family-drivenmodel. This model builds upon thestrengths of the youth, his or herfamily and the community, as well asempowers families to set their owngoals.

Through a combination of federal,City Council, and city tax levy fund-ing, DJJ has successfully tripled theprogram�s budget in the last year anda half.

The federal Juvenile Accountabil-ity Incentive Block Grant (JAIBG)allows CBI to expand post-detentionservices by contracting with commu-nity based organizations to operatesites in the boroughs of Manhattanand Queens. Through a competitiveprocess, DJJ has selected The Doorto serve Manhattan and the Centerfor Children and Families to serviceQueens. Both of these groups willtarget youth released from detentionand will offer services comparable tothose provided by the directly oper-ated CBI offices in the Bronx andBrooklyn, including case management,recreational activities, educationalworkshops, and advocacy with theBoard of Education.

The funding allows for the hiring ofTransition Counselors, who will workas liaisons between detention and CBIto engage youth prior to release and toimprove the efficiency of theprogram�s outreach and enrollmentprocess. These counselors will con-duct regularly scheduled post-deten-tion orientation sessions, help to in-form residents about the court pro-cess, run daily releases for the pro-gram and verify addresses, follow-upwith medical referrals from detention,and run group sessions that focus onjuvenile accountability and victimempathy.

DJJ is contracting with Community,Counseling and Mediation Services(CCM) and Catholic Charities to de-velop a truancy and delinquency pre-vention program. CCM will offer tru-ancy prevention and other servicesout of the Kings County District

Attorney�s T.R.A.C.K. (TruancyReduction Alliance to Contact Kids)site, its own after school center, and 4Brooklyn high schools.

Catholic Charities will implementthe DJJ prevention model at the 84th

precinct, which encompasses thedowntown Brooklyn area.

All of the contracted services areexpected to begin during the spring.

In addition to receiving direct fund-ing, CBI has partnered with the Cen-ter for Court Innovation, Bronx AIDSServices and the Bronx Council forthe Arts to provide enrolled youthwith family strengthening and media-tion services, mentoring for girls, andcreative writing activities respectively.

CBI Initiatives � Bigger and Better than EverBy Lee Che Leong, Urban Fellow

Win a DJJ MUG!!! DJJ islooking for a new name for CBI,one that better reflects the workof the program. If your sugges-tion is chosen, you will win afree mug. All entries should besent to Assistant CommissionerLeslie Hurdle in Central Office.

CUNY Pre-Law Students Visit DJJ

Five students from the City University of New York and two students from QueensCollege recently visited DJJ, where they spent the morning with Kay Murray, DJJ�sGeneral Counsel, who served as their mentor in in Role Model Program sponsoredby the New York Coalition of 100 Black Women and CUNY. L to R: BarbaraPhipps, Matra Hart, DJJ's Neil Hernandez and Kay Murray, Regine Victor,Christina Simeon and Ana Mantebea Koran.


Administration

Staff Promotionsand New Hires

Profile Kim Johnson

By Lauren Brown

Working with youngstersfor over nine years at DJJ,Kim Johnson lends criticalsupport to DJJ�s line staff.Ms. Johnson is a JuvenileCounselor in the Court Ser-vices/Transportation Unit. Her re-sponsibilities include supervising theyoung people she transports fromFamily Court to the facilities.

�I grew up in the inner city. I believethat it is important to help the kids thatare from my neighborhood,� she says,affirming why she is so dedicated tothese young people.

Although she finds reward in herdaily efforts on the job, Johnson ex-plains her greatest joy. She says, �Ilove working with children but best ofall is walking down the street in myneighborhood and having an individualsay, �Remember me Ms. Johnson?

Thanks for helping me andlistening to me when no oneelse did.� �

Ms. Johnson grew up inthe Bronx and graduated fromJohn Jay College of CriminalJustice. Before accepting aposition at Spofford Juvenile

Center in 1990, Johnson worked forboth the New York City Departmentof Correction and the Federal De-partment of Correction as a correc-tional officer.

Warner West, Executive Directorof Court Services describes Ms.Johnson as �a very calm, diligent,even-tempered person. �Ms. Johnsonis the type of person who is extremelyattentive to residents and possessesgreat potential,� said Mr. West.

Outside of work, Johnson enjoysspending time with her daughter Brit-tany, watching sports and playing hand-ball and basketball.

Since December 1999, numerousnew staff members have joined DJJ.

Juvenile Counselor I: Peter Bayley,Israel Enwereuzor, Janice Ferguson,Stephen Hill, Herbert Johnson, DavidJohnson, Angel Martinez, SundayEhiorobo, Olugbenga Ajala, KelleyBrown, Frederick Holmes, OsvaldoRoper, Damon Patterson, EstherOkafor, Araceli Melendez andSamuel Kayode.Maintenance Workers: JanMoskowitz, Salvatore Speciale andNelson Flores.Stock Worker: Mohammed Bility.Senior Cooks: Willem Blyheid andHilton Riddick.Food Service Manager: WarrenGeorge.Cook: Duane Lewis, Dennis Isaac,Lester Smith and Sheldon Wallace.Ombudsman: Sharon Moore-PurvisCustodian I: Hessard Bailey, ArnoldBrooks and Michael Vasquez.Institutional Aides: Leonard Steward,Jesus Carmona, Lexie Anderson,Dayne Banks, Richard Hudson andAnthony Lewis.Sr. Houseparent: Tamar Johnson.Senior Activities Coordinator for Com-munity-Based Intervention: JamelNedderman.Case Manager: Marie Pierre Louis,Lynn Moise, Rachael Nazon and Pre-cious Stepney.Community Associate: SavitreeBalram, Zonela Welch, RicardoVelez, Alexa Troche and GeorgeAdames.Special Officers: Francisco Santos,Peter Onwu, Wendell Carnavon andFederico Sanchez.

Linda McKay began as Director ofFinancial Management.

PROMOTIONS

Donna Locke was promoted to Su-perintendent, the title of the ExecutiveDirector of Crossroads JC.

Efrain Figueroa was promoted toDeputy Director of Operations atBridges Juvenile Center.

William Graham was promoted toSupervisor I.

Maurice Gadson was promoted toDirector of Support Services andSandra Bryce was promoted to Di-rector of Operations, both at Cross-roads Juvenile Center.

Sinclair Duncan and Diane Windonwere promoted to Sr. Cook.

Chukwuma Uwechia was promotedto Community Coordinator.

Paula Padilla, William Pratt, ClaraMelendez and Shanequa Del Vallewere promoted to Community Asso-

ciate.Maudria Caldwell-Hudson and

Tammy Jones were promoted to Prin-cipal Administrative Associate I.Evelyn Johnson was promoted to Prin-cipal Administrative Associate II.

Bernardo Contorno was promotedto Supervisor of Mechanic Installa-tion and Maintenance. TanishaCalderon was promoted to Ombuds-man.

The following individuals were pro-moted to Associate Juvenile Counse-lor I: Gilberto Gomez, MichaelHenderson, Anteika Reid, GeorgeWilliams, Tyrone Washington, MichaelBedward, Eleanor Jackson, PeterEromosele, Vilma Batista and WaleJones.

The following individuals were pro-moted to Associate Juvenile Counse-lor II: Kevin Patterson, Philip Clarkeand Alexander Toney.

Ruby Mitchell was promoted to Sr.Special Officer.


Nearly a year of intensive researchon the evolution of today�s detentionsystem culminated in the launching of�Detention in New York � Then andNow,� an exhibit at John Jay Collegeof Criminal Justice.

The exhibit included eight panelsspanning two centuries of juveniledetention history. The exhibit was ondisplay in the lobby of John Jay Col-lege from April 10th through May 5th

Commissioner Tino Hernandez andPresident Gerald W. Lynch of JohnJay College hosted the opening re-ception held on Monday, April 10th.

�The exhibit is a great way of teach-ing people about juvenile delinquencyand detention in New York City,�says Commissioner Tino Hernandez.

President Lynch applauded this one-of-a-kind exhibit, which was seen byover 20,000 people who visited JohnJay each week. DJJ has many em-ployees and student interns who aregraduates of John Jay College.

The exhibit was in production forsix months and involved archival re-search, writing, and organization.Sheila Greene, Chief of Staff, andSarina Roffé, Director of Public Af-fairs, directed the work of committeemembers Lauren Brown, Public Af-fairs Assistant, and Michael Sachse,Urban Fellow. City Graphics ActingDirector John Yue and Graphic ArtistNick Bellitteri completed the layoutsand graphic design work for the ex-hibit. City Graphics is a unit in theNYC Department of Citywide Ad-ministrative Services.

The content in the panels begins inthe year 1800 when the detention ofjuveniles began shortly after the open-ing of the New York State peniten-

Juvenile Detention in New York: Then and Now - A DJJ Exhibit

tiary system.The exhibit endswith photos anda model of thenew detentionfacilities run byDJJ.

�I think thisexhibit gives abroad overviewof the history ofjuvenile deten-tion in NewYork City,� saidSarina Roffé,Director of Pub-lic Affairs.

The early pan-els explainedwhat policies and proceduresand laws that were put in placeto deal with delinquency. Theexhibit covered the troubledSpofford Era, prior to the cre-ation of DJJ, and laws � such asthe Family Court Act and theJuvenile Offender Act - thatchanged the face of juveniledetention as we know it today.

The exhibit discussed thecreation of DJJ and subse-quent programmatic initia-tives that turned Spofford Ju-venile Center into a nationaljuvenile detention model. Alsocovered were the challeng-ing capacity issues DJJ facedin both secure and non-se-cure detention, including theexpansion of NSD, the open-ing of the two new facilitiesand the re-opening ofSpofford as Bridges JuvenileCenter.


Juvenile Detention History

Commissioner Tino Hernandez poses with JohnJay CollegePresident Gerald Lynch (center). To their left are DJJemployees and John Jay alumni Jamel Nedderman, ChrisLove-Fox and on the far right, Alexander Figueroa. SoniaGalarza coached the John Jay Volleyball team. Below: ThePanel that shows the creation DJJ..

around department of djj newslettertino hernandez. mr. ginsberg was also the former president of the...

Documents