Harry Shorstein

__NOTOC__Infobox State Representative
name=State Attorney Harry Shorstein

---

state_house=
state=Florida
district=
term=1992 - 2008
preceded=Ed Austin
succeeded=Angela Corey
date of birth=1941
spouse=
profession=Attorney
religion=
party=|

Harry L. Shorstein (born 1941) is an American lawyer who has served as State Attorney for the 4th Judicial Circuit of Florida, covering Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, [ [http://www.coj.net/Departments/State+Attorneys+Office+/About+the+Office.htm State Attorney's Office - Fourth Circuit] ] since April 1991 after being appointed to the post by Governor Lawton Chiles. He was elected to a full term in 1992, re-elected in 1996, and ran unopposed in 2000 and 2004. At a February 6, 2007 news conference, the 66-year-old lawyer announced that he would not run for re-election in 2008. [ [http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=75358 First Coast News.com: Feb 6, 2007-Harry Shorstein Not Running for Re-election] ] He lives in Jacksonville, Florida.

Early life and career

Shorstein grew up in Jacksonville and received his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Florida in Gainesville. After graduating from law school, he was sent to Vietnam as a Captain in the 3rd Marine Division. He served active combat duty during the Tet Offensive, the Battle of Hue, and the siege of Khe Sanh. Shorstein was awarded a Bronze Star with Combat "V," a Combat Action Ribbon, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and a Presidential Unit Citation.

Shorstein experienced both the defense and prosecution of criminal cases. His first job after returning from Vietnam was Division Head in the Office of the Public Defender. He switched sides in 1970, working for the prosecution as Division Head and Chief Assistant State Attorney. In 1974, Mr. Shorstein began two years as General Counsel for the City of Jacksonville, then switched to private practice for 15 years.

Juvenile justice

Harry Shorstein instituted a juvenile justice program that combines prevention with punishment and rehabilitation. The Jacksonville approach uses early intervention for at-risk youth, incarceration for violent and repeat offenders, and rehabilitation programs with extensive education.

Since the implementation of Shorstein's strategy, juvenile crime in Jacksonville has fallen faster and further than nearly anywhere in the country. From 1993 to 1996, murders committed by juveniles dropped 72%, juvenile arrests for other violent crimes were down by 53%, and the number of vehicle thefts committed by juveniles decreased by nearly 60%. Florida State University conducted a study to determine the benefits of the plan. They projected that the plan prevented more than 8,700 crimes from 1992-95 and saved potential victims $18 million in damages.

However, the same can not be said for the adult offender program, especially the murder rate, which has given Jacksonville the distinction of being Florida’s murder capital for 12 of last 17 years. As a prosecutor he won convictions in all of the 30-35 murder trials he personally prosecuted, but those are but a small fraction of the total homicide cases tried by the state.

Awards

Harry Shorstein has received numerous prosecutorial awards and honors. Mr. Shorstein's juvenile justice program has been profiled on CBS's "60 Minutes", "NBC Nightly News" with Tom Brokaw and "The NewsHour" with Jim Lehrer, and in "U. S. News and World Report", "The New York Times", "USA Today" and "Parade Magazine". [ [http://www.coj.net/Departments/State+Attorneys+Office+/Harry+L.+Shorstein++Making+a+Difference.htm State Attorney's Office - Fourth Circuit - Shorstein biography] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.coj.net/Departments/State+Attorneys+Office+/Harry+L.+Shorstein++Making+a+Difference.htm City of Jacksonville website: Shorstein biography]