Letter to the Editor: Stunned and Disappointed Over Citizen's Review Panel Decision

Dear Editor:

I was stunned and disappointed to hear that Judge Scott Brownell was planning to end Citizens’ Review when he takes over the juvenile bench in January.

Citizens’ Review is a community asset and volunteer group that helps protect abused children who have been taken out of their homes by the state. Ending the program will eliminate an important layer of protection for abused kids in Manatee County, and it will leave our judges with less information as they make decisions about the abused kids and their families. 

I have worked professionally with abused children, some of the same ones who were seen by Citizens Review. They received better services and better protection because of Citizens Review.

According to a recent article in the Bradenton Herald, Judge Brownell met with some of the Citizens’ Review volunteers last week, but he did not firmly commit to keep the program – a program that has done valuable work for Bradenton and Manatee County for more than a decade. 

Let’s hope the judge will not kill a volunteer program that helps protect our kids and heal our broken families.    

Sincerely

Shelly Grantham