TO: Broward County State Attorney’s Office, Juvenile Division
Broward County PublicDefender’s Office, Juvenile Division
Regional Counsel, Special Public Defender’s and Private Defense Counsels Department of Juvenile Justice, Parents and Children
FROM: Broward County Circuit Court Judge Merrilee Ehrlich
RE: Read a book and write a book report for Community Service Hours
DATE: August 2010
Knowing how difficult it is for children to secure Community Service hours which are a required condition of their probation, the following is another option that almost everyone can perform.
If you read an age/ability-appropriate book and write a book report about what the book was about and/or what you learned from the book, you may receive up to 20 hours Community Service hours.
The Court does not have an objection to “double-dipping” where the book read and the book report is also utilized to serve a school requirement, as it is the juvenile delinquency court’s and this Judge’s intent that children be engaged in positive, constructive pursuits such as reading, writing, and formal education, all of which will serve them later in life.
Note: If you don’t have a book OR can’t get a ride to the public library OR can’t access a book on-line or otherwise, Judge Ehrlich’s courtroom now has FREE books to lend/borrow or keep and pass on.
Juvenile Probation Officers, Parents, everyone who cares about our children: Judge Ehrlich is always looking for book donations for her courtroom library. Just drop off age-appropriate books at the back of the courtroom in our “library” when you are next in court or if you have many books, please go to the reception area next to the courtroom and contact my Judicial Assistant, Kirstan, so that the books may be dropped off in the Judge’s chambers. Whether you donate one or many books, our children thank you.
Respectfully Submitted,
Broward County Circuit Court Judge Merrilee Ehrlich
ME/kw