Circuit Judge Kevin Carey, who signed off on a recommendation in the Paris case, said Friday that dependency judges will preside over final hearings with child welfare workers and parents. Formerly, they only approved a hearing master's recommendation to reunify foster children and their parents.

``I don't believe the judicial system broke down in any way in this case,'' Carey said. ``It's never a bad idea to step back and try to improve the process.''

``It was not a hearing,'' he said of his role in the case. ``There was not a motion; there were no contested issues. It was an agreement of parties that goes on every day in the courtroom.''

The court reunited Ronnie and his parents, Ronnie B. and Nysheerah Paris, on Dec. 14. Ronnie died Jan. 28 after enduring blunt trauma to the head and six days on life support. The Parises are charged in the death.

A tape of court hearings released Friday in the case offers insight into the often complicated and closed procedures surrounding custody of children in state care.

The hearings also shed light on why General Magistrate Jon Johnson and Carey granted Ronnie's parents a second chance with their son.

A year earlier, the couple sat in a Hillsborough County courtroom while child welfare officials decided the family's fate.

More than two years had passed since Ronnie was placed in foster care, and although Ronnie's father cleared hurdles to regain custody, the mother hadn't complied.

Johnson scolded child welfare workers for not finding a solution in a timely manner.

``I'm sure you don't want to have this case for the next 16 years,'' he told them Jan. 6, 2004.

The father had done everything necessary to win back custody. He had a constitutional right to have his son returned, Johnson said.

Otherwise, the child, by law, must be given a permanent home elsewhere.

Six months later, Nysheerah Paris still refused to complete parenting classes.

``She's not interested,'' a caseworker told Johnson.

``I need to have more solutions,'' Johnson said, ``because we just can't hold this case open forever.''

``Everyone needs to have a point at which they've either done everything and get their child back or you change their goal to something else.''

Hillsborough Kids Inc., a private agency overseeing state adoptions and foster care in Tampa, opted to work toward reunification.

On Dec. 1, an attorney representing the state assured Johnson that the parents ``substantially'' met their case plan, including classes on parenting, nutrition and household management.

Caseworker Linda Miller told Johnson that the mother finished her parenting classes in October. Miller did a home study and said the Parises were ready and had everything they needed.

``Good job, Mr. and Mrs. Paris,'' Johnson told them. The Parises thanked him in unison.

``When you get the blessing of Mrs. Miller,'' Johnson said, ``you've jumped through some significant hoops because she's tough.''

A Florida Department of Children & Families preliminary report faulted Miller with likely contributing to Ronnie's death. She was suspended without pay pending the inspector general's findings.

Former State Rep. Sandra Murman, who now serves on Hillsborough Kids Inc.'s board of directors, said she wants more oversight at the beginning of such cases. She and Hillsborough County sheriff's Chief Deputy Jose Docobo met with Gov. Jeb Bush last week to ask for help.

Murman wants to move forward with transferring investigations from DCF to the local sheriff's office.

Murman said the governor is putting $6.4 million into the supplemental budget to cover the transfer of services. There are five sheriffs, including Hillsborough's, ready to do the job, she said.

Sheriff David Gee has expressed willingness to take on the responsibility, Docobo said. ``As law enforcement, we are better suited to conduct those investigations,'' he said.

Having trained investigators looking at those cases will cost $1 million to start, he said. Thereafter, the added responsibilities would add about $12.5 million to the annual sheriff's operational budget.

Researcher Melanie O'Bannon and reporter Keith Morelli contributed to this report. Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144.