"It left an impression on me all right"
Court psychologists who advise judges, prosecutors and public defenders about the mental fitness of troubled teens and their custodians are the latest target of Palm Beach County budget cutters. A $635,000-a-year program that pays five psychologists and two assistants to conduct more than 250 mental health evaluations each year is being scrutinized by county managers for potential sharp reductions. As a result, top county judges are rallying to protect the positions.
Chief Judge Kathleen Kroll describes the work of the Office of Court Psychology as 'an incredibly important tool for preventing crime.' One of the area's most veteran juvenile-court experts, Circuit Judge Ronald Alvarez, wrote county commissioners last week to say that 'public safety would be drastically compromised' without the program. Alvarez has first-hand experience with what happens when court psychologists' work doesn't get done. Read more
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Court psychologists who advise judges, prosecutors and public defenders about the mental fitness of troubled teens and their custodians are the latest target of Palm Beach County budget cutters. A $635,000-a-year program that pays five psychologists and two assistants to conduct more than 250 mental health evaluations each year is being scrutinized by county managers for potential sharp reductions. As a result, top county judges are rallying to protect the positions.
Chief Judge Kathleen Kroll describes the work of the Office of Court Psychology as 'an incredibly important tool for preventing crime.' One of the area's most veteran juvenile-court experts, Circuit Judge Ronald Alvarez, wrote county commissioners last week to say that 'public safety would be drastically compromised' without the program. Alvarez has first-hand experience with what happens when court psychologists' work doesn't get done. Read more
More...