11th Judicial Circuit of Florida
For Immediate Release
July 19, 2018
Contact: Eunice Sigler, Director
Office of Government Liaison & Public Relations
Phone (305) 349-7189 Fax (305) 349-7190 Cell (786) 348-7381
ELEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT RESPONSE TO
ACLU OF FLORIDA / GREATER MIAMI REPORT ON
MIAMI-DADE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Judges are responsible for justice in every individual case and must evaluate every case separately, based on the facts of the case and the law. The research report produced by the ACLU of Florida and Greater Miami titled “Unequal Treatment: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Miami-Dade Criminal Justice” provides a big-picture view of these cases and offers insights that will inform our continuing efforts at self-examination and improvement.
The Eleventh Circuit has been addressing these issues on an ongoing basis. Among them:
- Addressing pretrial detention issues with promises to appear instead of sending people to jail awaiting future court hearings
- Supporting the use of civil citations instead of arrests for low-level crimes
- Providing driver’s license reinstatement programs and events
- Supporting other initiatives like Miami-Dade County’s Group Violence Intervention program, which is aimed at providing holistic services to reduce gun violence and police interactions
- The Eleventh Circuit has led the state and nation in training judges on diversity, bias and racial and ethnic dynamics
The Eleventh Judicial Circuit will be creating a work group with its justice partners and community groups to study this report and to continue its work on these issues.
“The Eleventh Circuit is committed to justice for every person, no matter what color they are, no matter where they were born, no matter how they identify – ethnically or otherwise – and no matter whether they are rich or poor,” said the Honorable Bertila Soto, Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. “We will study this report and use it to inform our continuing work with the goal of eliminating all racial and ethnic disparities in our criminal justice system.”
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