Cindy Lederman

Cindy Lederman, Judge of the Juvenile Court, is a community leader and advocate for the rights of women and juveniles. She has initiated and expanded the Miami-Dade County Domestic Violence Court; founded the Girls Advocacy Project, a model intervention program for girls in the Juvenile Detention Center; and spearheaded the opening of the Head Start Facility for maltreated children. She serves on boards and councils studying deviant peer contagion; violence and victims; gender bias; education, youth and families; and has written a concept entitled Judicial Decision Making to Ensure Permanency Planning for Substance Exposed Newborns. Judge Lederman's court has been designated as an Infant and Young Children's Mental Health Pilot site, and she has written many articles and publications based on her work.