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The 2008 National KIDS COUNT Data Book profiles youth who are involved in state juvenile justice systems. The essay, A Road Map for Juvenile Justice Reform, prepared by Douglas W. Nelson, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, states that “among all of the policy areas affecting vulnerable children and families, juvenile justice has probably suffered the most glaring gaps between best practice and common practice, between what we know and what we most often do.”
- Indiscriminate and wholesale incarceration of juveniles is proving expensive, abusive, and bad for public safety.
- Juvenile justice systems too often ignore the crucial role of families in resolving delinquency.
- The increasing propensity to prosecute minor cases in the juvenile justice system harms youth, with no benefit to public safety.
- Juvenile Justice is too often used as a dumping ground for youth who should be served by other public systems.
- Systems policies and practices have allowed unequal justice to persist. Racial disparities are pervasive in juvenile justice, and little is being done to correct them.
Key facts and promising solutions for each finding can be found in the National Fact Sheet.
KIDS COUNT is a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the United States. The KIDS COUNT Data Center contains more than 100 measures of child well-being, including the most recent data available on education, employment and income, poverty, health, and youth risk factors for the United States as a whole, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Florida KIDS COUNT continues to provide a consistent and reliable source of information that is adaptable to a variety of uses such as policy analysis, grant and proposal writing, needs assessments and public education.
A Few Words from Florida KIDS COUNT Director Susan Weitzel:
"Promising directions have been set forth by the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet and the Blueprint Commission to bring great promise for systematic improvements to Florida’s juvenile justice system. I am especially pleased to see recommendations from both organizations that profile the need for improved mental health services. With data suggesting 65-100% of incarcerated youth have a diagnosable mental disorder, we must encourage our state to make it a priority to improve the health and wellness for youth before they enter the juvenile justice system, therefore reducing the numbers that enter the system."
Randy Otto, Ph.D.
Randy Otto is an Associate Professor in the FMHI Department of Mental Health Law and Policy. Over the past 5 years, he has worked with the National Juvenile Defender Center, training attorneys, judges, and other professionals who work in the juvenile justice system about a variety of issues including: adolescent development, kids’ ability to understand and participate in the legal process, and appropriate utilization of the expertise of mental health professionals in juvenile justice litigation. Contact Info: 813-974-9296: otto@fmhi.usf.edu
Richard Dembo, Ph.D.
Richard Dembo is professor of Criminology at USF. He has extensive experience working with troubled youths in a variety of settings and in applying research technology to social problems. He helped to develop the Hillsborough County Juvenile Assessment Center in Tampa, has served as a consultant to many federal agencies, published three books and over 180 articles, book chapters and reports in the fields of criminology, substance use, mental health, and program evaluation, and has been a major party in the flow of millions of dollars in federal, state and local funds into the Tampa Bay area for various research and service delivery projects addressing the needs of high risk youth, their families and their surrounding communities. Contact info: 813-974-9531; rdembo@cas.usf.edu
For more information about local programs and services throughout the state, visit Florida Children's Services Councils.
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Florida ranks 35 in the nation in a new state-by-state study on the well-being of America’s children. The 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book reveals that Florida improved on six of the 10 measures affecting child well-being and experienced four setbacks since 2000.
The 2008 Essay discusses youth who are involved in state juvenile justice systems and highlights new approaches to detention reform, such as the Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). The essay challenges local and state-level institutions to reduce unnecessary and inappropriate detention and incarceration. In addition, increased opportunities for positive youth development are encouraged.
There are over 7,000 detained and committed Florida youth in custody.
In 2006, the estimated daily count of detained and committed youth in custody was 7,302. That same year, 70 percent of Florida youth were in custody due to non-violent offenses, in comparison to the nation at 66 percent.
Teens dropping out of high school decreases.
The percentage of Florida teens (ages 16-19) not enrolled in school and not a high school graduate decreased by 33 percent, dropping from 12 percent in 2000 to 8 percent in 2006. Similarly, nationwide the dropout rate improved by 36 percent, dropping from 11 percent to 7 percent during the same period.
In contrast to the national trend, Florida experienced a slight increase in idle teens.
The percentage of teens (ages 16-19) not attending school and not working increased by 13 percent, from 8 percent in 2000 to 9 percent in 2006. The national percentage of idle teens decreased by 11 percent, from 9 percent to 8 percent over that same period.
Teen birth rate improves.
Florida saw a decline in its teen birth rate, from 51 births per 1,000 females age 15-19 in 2000 to 42 births per 1,000 females in 2005. The national rate went from 48 births per 1,000 females to 40 births per 1,000 females over the same period.
(Information above prepared by National KIDS COUNT and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.)
The Children and Youth Cabinet, created by Governor Charlie Crist in 2007, consists of 20 members who coordinate state agencies and programs that deliver children’s services. The Cabinet’s strategic plan and annual report can be found at their website.
In 2007, the Florida Supreme Court Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court issued a report entitled "Transforming Florida’s Mental Health System: Constructing a Comprehensive and Competent Criminal Justice/Mental Health/Substance Abuse Treatment System." In this report, recommendations are made for the development of a comprehensive and competent mental health system which will prevent individuals from entering the justice system to begin with and will respond to individuals who do become involved in the justice system quickly and effectively to link them to appropriate services and prevent recidivism” (p. 12). more info
Spotlight on Florida’s Youth At Risk: An In-Depth Look at Their Transition to Adulthood, a report commissioned by the Eckerd Family Foundation, looks at eight categories of at-risk youth and the barriers standing between them and becoming successful adults. The report helps policymakers, funders, educators, service providers, advocates and community leaders better understand what is needed to help these young people become self-sufficient, productive, engaged members of our community.
PACE Center for Girls is a Florida based, nationally recognized 501(c) 3 prevention program for adolescent at-risk girls. PACE is the only statewide gender responsive prevention and early intervention program in the country and has been recognized by the Girls Study Group as the most effective program nationally for keeping adolescent girls out of the juvenile justice system.
The Children’s Campaign, a leading child advocacy organization in Florida, has identified Juvenile Justice and Child Protection as two of their 5 Promises. Links to a Juvenile Justice Policy Brief, Report from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency Juvenile Justice in Florida, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, and more can be found at http://www.iamforkids.org/info/promise5/resources.
The Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) supports the Florida Legislature by providing evaluative research and objective analyses to promote government accountability and the efficient and effective use of public resources. A number of reports of juvenile justice can be found at the OPPAGA site.
The Florida Blueprint Commission was developed in response to several key concerns including juvenile recidivism, the overrepresentation of minority youths and alarming growth trends involving girls. The Blueprint Commission conducted public hearings throughout the state inviting input from stakeholders from all aspects of juvenile justice programs and services, as well as interested citizens. In February 2008, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and the Blueprint Commission released "Getting Smart About Juvenile Justice in Florida", a report of recommendations to reform Florida’s juvenile justice system. Key recommendations of the report are:
- Florida needs to invest in a continuum of services that can provide the right services at the right time in the least-restrictive environment, while continuing to provide serious sanctions for youth involved in serious and violent crime, where appropriate.
- Florida should invest in community-based programs that help keep kids out of trouble.
- Florida should develop alternative programs and interventions at the community level to prevent youth who do not pose a public safety or flight risk from placement in secure detention.
- For those youth who require commitment to residential facilities, Florida should provide facilities that are small, that provide good educational and skill-building programs, and that best prepare youth for return to their communities.
- Florida must provide gender-specific programming that effectively addresses the needs of girls in the juvenile justice system. And it must address the disproportionate presence of minorities in the system.
- Florida must provide adequate resources to meet the mental and physical health needs of youth in the juvenile justice system.
- Florida must invest in the human resources that provide direct care services to youth in the system and develop a more professional and stable workforce.
- And at every point, Florida should implement only those programs and strategies that are evidence-based, that have been demonstrated to be effective in protecting public safety while at the same time providing an optimum future for our youth.
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