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Florida Should Remember Lessons Of Judge Giglio

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 25, 2008

The death of former Circuit Judge Vincent Giglio last week probably went unnoted by most Hillsborough residents.

Though still well known and admired in legal circles, Giglio retired nearly a dozen years ago and had been out of the news since.

But there are reasons for the public to remember this superior jurist - including a decade of falling crime rates in Florida.

Giglio, a Tampa native who died of Parkinson's disease at 74, was among those who forced the state to confront its crumbling criminal justice system.

At a time when Florida confronts revenue shortfalls and must undertake massive budget cuts, it's all the more important to remember what can happen when the state cripples law enforcement.

This happened back in the 1990s, when lawmakers neglected the juvenile system. The state's refusal to provide the funds needed to treat or incarcerate dangerous, young offenders had a predictable result: a more dangerous state.

As in "A Clockwork Orange," youthful predators ran free. They knew could commit dozens of offenses without consequence.

Florida earned an international reputation for violence and crime when a group of teens killed a British tourist in north Florida and another group killed a German visitor in Miami.

Giglio, who led the 13th circuit's juvenile court division, was among those who spoke out about the madness.

While the dignified but take-no-gruff judge never had any trouble maintaining order in his court, he recognized the criminal justice system was all "bluff ... We can't do anything for you and we can't do anything to you."

Giglio was sickened that kids would cycle through the system, receiving neither aid nor punishment, and learning they could commit crime without paying a price. Some teenagers were arrested two-dozen times without punishment. One 14-year-old Tampa teen, when finally arrested for shooting his grandmother, already had been charged with stealing 14 cars.

While Giglio pushed for consequences, he never made the mistake of simply trying to throw the teenage criminals in with adults.

He knew many of these misdirected youngsters might be salvaged - with a combination of both punishment and treatment. Throwing them in with adult thugs would only ensure their commitment to crime.

But the young offenders needed to know they would be sent "somewhere they don't want to go," if the juvenile justice system was to have any impact.

Giglio was among those crime fighters who brought attention to the travesty and pressured lawmakers to shore up the criminal justice system.

Thanks to the efforts of Giglio and others, including newspapers, the state finally did invest in juvenile facilities and addressed other law enforcement needs.

Crime plummeted, and violent crime has been trending downward for a decade.

So lawmakers should remember the state's history and Giglio's wisdom as they look at ways to trim the budget. Eliminating programs for juvenile offenders may seem an easy way to save dollars, but the ultimate costs - to taxpayers and society - can be devastating.

And all Hillsborough residents should be grateful that Giglio, a good man and a conscientious judge, had the courage and foresight to speak out on their behalf.

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