November 30, 1999
MIAMI — Instrumental in Miami Dade-County’s struggle against juvenile crime and dedicated to proper rehabilitate of those who are delinquent or the innocent victims of abuse and neglect are several prominent Judges from the 11th Judicial Court — Cindy Lederman, Lester Langer and Scott Bernstein.
Committed to making the future brighter for children and increasing awareness of the juvenile system, the trio has organized a week-long series — “Building a World Safe for the Dreams of Children” — commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Juvenile Court in the United States.
While serving in the juvenile division, Judge Lederman’s efforts have resulted in the award of two grants relating to her work in the field of child maltreatment.
She is a U.S. Department of Justice grant recipient and co-author of the Dependency Court Intervention Program for Family Violence, conceived and developed to bring the presence of battered women’s advocacy into the dependency court. This program has been hailed as a model and could be implemented by Juvenile Justice courts nationwide.
Crucial to Judge Lederman’s model program were recent studies showing that there frequently exists a history of domestic violence in homes where child maltreatment has been investigated, particularly in those homes where physical abuse is most severe.
The United States Department of Justice agreed with Judge Lederman’s belief that systematic reform was needed. The Dependency Court Intervention Program is the country’s first juvenile court program designed to promote the safety of abused and neglected children by identifying and addressing the presence of domestic violence in their homes.
It has been recognized by the National Academy of Sciences as both exemplary on scientific grounds and highly relevant to policy.
Among some of her many achievements, Judge Lederman was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala to the new Federal Advisory Council on Violence against Women.
In 1997, GovernorLawton Chiles awarded Lederman the Governor’s Peace at Home Award in recognition of her work in the field of domestic violence. This past year, she received the William E. Gladstone Award, the state’s highest honor for children’s advocacy.
Judge Lederman, a University of Florida graduate, received her Juris Doctor in 1979 from the University of Miami School of Law. A former trial attorney, Judge Lederman was in private practice until 1982, then served as Deputy City Attorney for the city of North Miami Beach until her elevation to the bench in 1988.
While serving in the juvenile division, Judge Langer has been the associate administrative judge since 1997. Prior to that, he served on the County Court in the Civil and Domestic Violence Divisions from 1993 to 1997. Among his many achievements, Judge Langer produces the cable television show “Law You Can Use,” and has been involved in numerous community organizations such as the Parent Resource Center, Jewish Vocational Services and Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce.
Prior to be electing to the bench, Judge Langer was employed in the private sector from 1971 to 1992. Judge Langer received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami.
Chairman of the 100th Anniversary, Judge Scott Bernstein has been instrumental in bettering the future of the children of Miami-Dade. Born and raised in Miami, he founded the first volunteer support group for the New World City and established a program providing music lessons to inner-city children. He received his B.A. at Vanderbilt University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida.
The week-long 100th Anniversary activities are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 6 -10 at the Juvenile Justice Center located at 3300 NW 27th Avenue.
The activities will culminate in the Dec. 10 unveiling of a stunning mosaic by renowned artist Xavier Cortada. Inspired by the creations of 500 children in the juvenile justice system, the 24 x 16 foot mosaic will be permanently mounted on the facade of the Justice Center.
Major sponsors include Holland & Knight LLP and the Leigh Foundation. For more information about the week-long activities, contact Paul Indelicato at (305) 638-6102 or Judge Scott Bernstein at (305) 638-6238