by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
Jackie Bevel, assistant to the State Attorney, said “You’ll know he’s a Marine when you walk in.” Was she ever right. State Attorney Harry Shorstein has Devil Dog written all over him, as much as he bleeds orange and blue.
“You’ll come to learn Marines are very proud,” he said. A fact already known, but dually represented by Shorstein’s Bronze Star with Combat “V”, Marine statuettes and autographed photo of General Alfred M. Gray, Jr., former Commandant of the Corps.
“All Marines are very proud of Marines. We don’t hide it,” he said.
A native of Jacksonville, Shorstein received both his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Florida before he joined the Corps. He served as a Captain in the 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam and saw active combat duty during the Tet Offensive, Battle of Hue, and the siege of Khe Sanh.
Shorstein’s done a lot of serving and has experience in both the defense and prosecution of criminal cases. After his return from Vietnam, Shorstein worked as division head in the Office of the Public Defender. From 1970-74, he served as division head and Chief Assistant State Attorney. He was the youngest person to serve as General Counsel for the City of Jacksonville. He worked in the private practice of law for 15 years, and was appointed as State Attorney in 1991.
Shortly after becoming State Attorney, Shorstein focused his office’s attention on juvenile crime.
“We’re very, very proud of what we’ve done,” he said. “In its simplest form , it’s a very comprehensive approach to juvenile crime, with a focus on being tough when appropriate, including trying juveniles as adults, but more importantly focusing on prevention and early intervention. To me, it’s common sense.”
He has a lot of faith in the tight-fisted juvenile justice program. Last September, Shorstein issued a biannual, 38-page Statement on Juvenile Justice which hammers down the logic of the program.
“What’s made us so successful, is that (the program) has the tough component and progressive prevention/early intervention and they mesh. As a result, our record on reducing juvenile crime since 1992 is unprecedented anywhere in the world,” he said.
The State Attorney’s office has been recognized by national and international media for the progress it has made. The juvenile justice program has been profiled on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” “The Newshour” with Jim Lehrer, “NBC Nightly News” with Tom Brokaw, U. S. News and World Report, The New York Times, USA Today, and Parade Magazine.
“There are some who think we are too tough at times, and there are some who think we are too prevention oriented, but there really hasn’t been any opposition,” he said.
Shorstein says he’ll run for State Attorney again in 2008.