A stack of colorful, handmade friendship bracelets sits inside courtroom 52A in Hillsborough County, where assistant state attorneys Skyler Jackle and April Pent use the small tokens to encourage participants in mental health court — offering symbols of hope, progress and second chances along the path to stability.
By State Attorney Suzy Lopez
When you see colorful beaded jewelry on someone’s wrist, you might think of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and the friendship bracelets that became a cultural moment. But inside courtroom 52A in Hillsborough County, the friendship bracelets you’ll find inside tell a much deeper story.
They tell a story of second chances, and two Hillsborough prosecutors who decided to do something small that’s making a big impact.
Assistant state attorneys Skyler Jackle and April Pent wanted to find a simple way to bring encouragement to the people who are entering mental health court. They create their own handmade friendship bracelets that participants receive as incentives which symbolize progress and hope.
Housed in courtroom 52A, our county’s mental health treatment court is designed to help individuals living with mental illness move away from the traditional cycle of incarceration toward treatment and stability. It’s a path that often carries setbacks. Pent and Jackle know that consistent positive reinforcement is a critical part of the journey.
Prosecutors are not traditionally seen offering encouragement to defendants in the courtroom. But attorneys like Jackle and Pent in our office’s problem-solving courts reflect a broader role that supports rehabilitation and long-term public safety.
Jackle began making friendship bracelets to relieve stress while taking the bar exam. Now, the handmade tokens offer mental health court participants something tangible to hold onto as a reminder that they are not alone in what can be a difficult process.
These two attorneys set out to simply show a small gesture of encouragement. But these symbols of hope will be something these participants carry with them long after they leave the courtroom. Because sometimes the difference between giving up and moving forward is knowing someone believes in you.