Judge Steven Leifman

When I got assigned to the criminal division, I ended up having a case. This is the second part of my story. I was getting ready to go on the bench one morning, and the assistant public defender and the assistant state attorney came to see me. And they said that there was a case that was really mind-boggling on my docket.

When I got assigned to the criminal division, I ended up having a case. This is the second part of my story. I was getting ready to go on the bench one morning, and the assistant public defender and the assistant state attorney came to see me. And they said that there was a case that was really mind-boggling on my docket.

If I wouldn't mind, would I please speak to the defendant's parents who were in court? At the time, I was handling what we call a jail misdemeanor division. These are people on very low-level charges who are still in custody. There's kind of three types of folks in that division. There are those with attached felonies who are not allowed out of custody.

If I wouldn't mind, would I please speak to the defendant's parents who were in court? At the time, I was handling what we call a jail misdemeanor division. These are people on very low-level charges who are still in custody. There's kind of three types of folks in that division. There are those with attached felonies who are not allowed out of custody.

If I wouldn't mind, would I please speak to the defendant's parents who were in court? At the time, I was handling what we call a jail misdemeanor division. These are people on very low-level charges who are still in custody. There's kind of three types of folks in that division. There are those with attached felonies who are not allowed out of custody.

There are those that are too poor and they can't afford to bond out of custody. But mostly, it's really people with serious mental illnesses that don't know how to get out of custody.

There are those that are too poor and they can't afford to bond out of custody. But mostly, it's really people with serious mental illnesses that don't know how to get out of custody.

There are those that are too poor and they can't afford to bond out of custody. But mostly, it's really people with serious mental illnesses that don't know how to get out of custody.

The parents came in and they started telling me this story about how their son was brilliant, how he had gone to Harvard, how he had a late onset of schizophrenia, and he became homeless and started cycling through the criminal justice system. And as I started to go back into the courtroom, they were pretty distraught.

The parents came in and they started telling me this story about how their son was brilliant, how he had gone to Harvard, how he had a late onset of schizophrenia, and he became homeless and started cycling through the criminal justice system. And as I started to go back into the courtroom, they were pretty distraught.

The parents came in and they started telling me this story about how their son was brilliant, how he had gone to Harvard, how he had a late onset of schizophrenia, and he became homeless and started cycling through the criminal justice system. And as I started to go back into the courtroom, they were pretty distraught.

The mom was crying and the dad was shaking and they literally were begging me to get their son help. Of course, being a new judge, you think you have a lot more wisdom and a lot more power than you do. I made a rookie mistake and I promised them that I would get their son help because I assumed there was a system in place to treat him. Sadly, there was not.

The mom was crying and the dad was shaking and they literally were begging me to get their son help. Of course, being a new judge, you think you have a lot more wisdom and a lot more power than you do. I made a rookie mistake and I promised them that I would get their son help because I assumed there was a system in place to treat him. Sadly, there was not.

The mom was crying and the dad was shaking and they literally were begging me to get their son help. Of course, being a new judge, you think you have a lot more wisdom and a lot more power than you do. I made a rookie mistake and I promised them that I would get their son help because I assumed there was a system in place to treat him. Sadly, there was not.

As I was going back into the courtroom, the mom stopped me and said, judges, one more thing I need to tell you about my son. She said, not only is he brilliant, but he probably knows more about the mental health system than you do. And I was surprised, and I looked at her, and I think she thought the lawyers had told me the whole story. They had not. And I said, excuse me?

As I was going back into the courtroom, the mom stopped me and said, judges, one more thing I need to tell you about my son. She said, not only is he brilliant, but he probably knows more about the mental health system than you do. And I was surprised, and I looked at her, and I think she thought the lawyers had told me the whole story. They had not. And I said, excuse me?

As I was going back into the courtroom, the mom stopped me and said, judges, one more thing I need to tell you about my son. She said, not only is he brilliant, but he probably knows more about the mental health system than you do. And I was surprised, and I looked at her, and I think she thought the lawyers had told me the whole story. They had not. And I said, excuse me?

And she said, my son is the former head of psychiatry at Jackson Memorial Hospital. That is our largest public hospital in Florida. And she said he didn't show up to work one day, and he was having religious ideations. So he cashed in his life insurance policy. He flew to Israel to be closer to God.

And she said, my son is the former head of psychiatry at Jackson Memorial Hospital. That is our largest public hospital in Florida. And she said he didn't show up to work one day, and he was having religious ideations. So he cashed in his life insurance policy. He flew to Israel to be closer to God.

And she said, my son is the former head of psychiatry at Jackson Memorial Hospital. That is our largest public hospital in Florida. And she said he didn't show up to work one day, and he was having religious ideations. So he cashed in his life insurance policy. He flew to Israel to be closer to God.