I believe that the most effective method of reducing juvenile crime is to intervene at an early age with at-risk youth. In this regard, the Office of the State Attorney administers several intervention and diversion programs designed to educate at-risk youth on the consequences of crime and to change the criminal behavior of minor offenders. Our diversion programs render speedy justice without involvement in the traditional over-crowded court system. In the past several years, we have greatly increased our efforts to divert appropriate juveniles by creating new programs. I believe that our diversion and intervention programs, coupled with the aggressive prosecution of repeat violent juvenile offenders, are making a difference.

 

A Biography  Harry L. Shorstein received his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Florida. After graduating from law school, he served as a Captain in the 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam. Having seen active combat duty during the Tet Offensive, Battle of Hue, and the siege of Khe Sanh, Mr. Shorstein was awarded a Bronze Star with Combat "V," a Combat Action Ribbon, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and a Presidential Unit Citation.

Mr. Shorstein has experience in both the defense and prosecution of criminal cases. Upon returning from Vietnam, he worked as Division Head in the Office of the Public Defender. From 1970 to 1974, Mr. Shorstein served as Division Head and Chief Assistant State Attorney. After two years as General Counsel for the City of Jacksonville, he worked in the private practice of law for 15 years. Mr. Shorstein has served as State Attorney since 1991. As a prosecutor he has won convictions in all of the 30-35 murder trials he has prosecuted.

As State Attorney in Jacksonville, Florida, Harry Shorstein has instituted an inventive, highly-acclaimed juvenile justice program that combines prevention with punishment and rehabilitation. The Jacksonville approach is based on early intervention for at-risk youth, incarceration for violent and repeat offenders, and extensive education and rehabilitation programs.

Since Mr. Shorstein's strategy was implemented, juvenile crime in Jacksonville has fallen faster and further than nearly anywhere in the country. From 1993 to 1996, murders committed by juveniles dropped 72 percent, juvenile arrests for other violent crimes were cut by 53 percent, and the number of vehicle thefts by juveniles decreased by nearly 60 percent. According to a recent Florida State University study, the plan averted more than 8,700 crimes between 1992 and 1995 and saved potential victims $18 million in damages.

The recipient of numerous awards and honors for prosecutorial excellence and community service, Mr. Shorstein's juvenile justice program has been profiled by CBS's 60 Minutes, The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, U. S. News and World Report, The New York Times, USA Today, and Parade Magazine.