The
St. Petersburg Times searched records to learn that when police enter schools and question kids about crimes,
the officers often do not issue Miranda warnings or even call parents until they haul the kids off to jail:
Florida police frequently skirt state and federal laws, or violate them outright, when questioning children at school, a St. Petersburg Times investigation has found.
Often
police question juvenile suspects first, and leave the Miranda warning
for later. In some cases they question kids at school and take them to
jail without notifying the principal. Or they interrogate them as
suspects before trying to notify their parents, in violation of state
law.
Even when police don't cut legal corners, experts say the
push to station officers in most middle and high schools has brought a
raft of unintended consequences: blurred roles, unclear legal authority
and a sharp increase in school arrests for minor infractions that could
be handled out of court.
Principals, the last line of defense
for kids jeopardized by police misconduct, rarely challenge resource
officers or other police who enter school to interrogate students.
And children are saddled with criminal records that can follow them for a lifetime.
"They
won't be able to get a job, they won't be able to go to college," said
Judge Robert Evans of the 9th Judicial Circuit. "They're screwed for
life."
Resources to Localize this StoryThe National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) has issued "assessments" of juvenile justice systems in 16 states. The group says:
The assessments
provide comprehensive examinations of the systemic and institutional
barriers that prevent lawyers from providing adequate legal services
to indigent children within a particular state legal system. In
addition to gathering general data and information about the structure
of the juvenile indigent defense system, assessments examine issues
related to the timing of appointment of counsel, the frequency with
which children waive their right to counsel and under what conditions
they do so, resource allocation, attorney compensation, supervision
and training, and access to investigators, experts, social workers
and support staff. Assessments also highlight promising approaches
and innovative practices within the state and offer recommendations
to improve weak areas.
Assessments are available for:
The group has a publication called "Why It's Important to Know Your Rights: A Guide to Young People's Rights in Juvenile Delinquency Court." [PDF; similar information is posted here]
