[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 12, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E225-E226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO JO KAPLAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 12, 1997

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Jo Kaplan, 
who has devoted her legal career to representing the poor, the 
underprivileged, and children. As both a member of the Los Angeles 
County Public Defenders Office and a lawyer in private practice, Jo has 
dedicated herself to helping those members of society who are 
desperately in need of help. Through her tireless efforts and selfless 
ways, she has made life better for so many.
  Jo's husband, Larry Feldman, is a close friend of mine, and I know 
how proud he is of his wife's accomplishments. There is so much to 
tell. For example, since graduating from UCLA Law School in 1968, Jo 
has been a leader in getting more humane treatment for juvenile 
prisoners. She began by working in the public defenders office and 
later with then-Los Angeles County Supervisor Jim Hayes on ways to 
improve the lot of children held in detention. This included advocating 
a right to treatment for incarcerated youths, meaning the State had an 
obligation to try to give them ameliorative treatment while they were 
in custody.

[[Page E226]]

  After leaving the public defenders office, Jo established her own 
practice, quickly becoming a recognized expert in juvenile law in Los 
Angeles County. During this period she continued to work for better 
conditions for juveniles housed in mental hospitals, camps, group 
homes, and local county-run detention facilities. In recent years, Jo 
has broadened her area of advocacy to include reasons why children turn 
to crime. She concluded that almost all her clients started out as 
abandoned, abused, and/or neglected children. She has represented both 
parents and children in Los Angeles County Dependency Court with the 
idea that the parties need help, not punishment.
  Since 1990, Jo has been head of one of the law firms of Dependency 
Court Legal Services. Currently, her firm represents over 10,000 
children, ranging from infants born with drugs in their system to 
legally orphaned 19-year-olds who have been raised in our foster care 
system.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting Jo Kaplan, whose 
dedication to the rights and well-being of children is an inspiration 
to us all.

                          ____________________