Latawun Bess - Director
Ms. Bess takes pride in collaborating with community stakeholders to enhance JSD’s service delivery and reduce barriers for young people and their families. Ms. Bess has been instrumental in establishing the JSD Training Center of Excellence to provide technical assistance and capacity building for law enforcement and County departments interacting with youth and families. As a subject matter expert, Ms. Bess provides training in the Southern region of Florida on a Florida Statute driven risk assessment instrument. Ms. Bess presents the JSD Model to local and national juvenile justice stakeholders and is a member of the National Assessment Center Association. Ms. Bess helped lead the department to certify its assessment process through the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), International.
Ms. Bess holds a master’s degree in public administration from Florida International University.
Juvenile Services
Latawun Bess
Hickman Building
275 NW 2nd Street,
2nd Floor
Miami, FL 33128
305-755-6200 | jsd@miamidade.gov