TONIGHT at 6pm: the importance of the Civil Citation program Times Union: Duval must step up juvenile justice reform program Staff Florida’s overly harsh treatment of juveniles in trouble is needlessly expensive for taxpayers and is harmful to children — especially in Duval. Efforts toward reform have been slow compared to other parts of the country. That is especially true in the key area of diverting first-time offenders with low-level misdemeanors from entering the “school to prison” pipeline. Even after passage of a 2011 law that requires all counties to use civil citations for first-time offenders — instead of being arrested and jailed — at least 18 counties still don’t have a program using guidelines from the state Department of Juvenile Justice. *Under Duval’s program, only 31 percent of first-time offenders who were eligible for civil citations received them last year. That compares to 84% of first-time offenders receiving civil citations in Miami-Dade County, according to the Department of Juvenile Justice. HOW CITATIONS WORK A civil citation brings consequences and requires accountability by youthful offenders. They must admit to wrongdoing, agree to receive services, such as counseling or drug therapy if needed, perform community service and get permission from the victim in some cases to avoid detention. Many businesses have agreed to forego pressing for other punitive actions for first-time offenders. Walmart, a frequent target of shoplifters, has agreed to accept civil citations for youthful first-time offenders in Northeast Florida. *Repeat offenses are remarkably lower for children issued civil citations compared to those arrested for first offenses. The re-offend rate for those completing a civil citation program is only 6 percent. That compares to a 17 percent rate for those arrested but placed on probation and 41 percent for those who spent time in residential programs. COREY’S REFUSAL Part of the reason for Duval’s low use of civil citations is objections by State Attorney Angela Corey, who has refused to abide by a memorandum of understanding implementing a more robust program. That document sets out who is eligible for civil citations, which offenses qualify and operating procedures for the sheriff, Duval County Teen Court, the state attorney and the Department of Juvenile Justice. It was signed by Sheriff John Rutherford, the public defender, DJJ’s chief probation officer and the teen court director. Corey cites her own diversion programs and says she objects to youth getting civil citations when battery is involved. Unfortunately, that means some children involved in schoolyard fights, even if it is their first misdemeanor offense, may be arrested, locked up and then have an arrest record. *Corey’s diversion program has been criticized for being more like “Scared Straight,” which has been shown to be ineffective, according to several studies cited by juvenile justice officials. Teen court, neighborhood accountability boards and myriad other services are in place in Duval County to deal with youthful offenders in ways that have been shown to be both effective for first-time offenders and less costly to taxpayers. SAVINGS Processing a teenager through the system costs $5,000 while handling the same case through civil citation costs $386, according to estimates by the Department of Juvenile Justice. Frustrated legislators, including Sen. Audrey Gibson and Rep. Mia Jones, attempted to pass legislation earlier this year that would have made civil citations mandatory for eligible first-time offenders. The measure failed in the face of opposition by some law enforcement agencies and some prosecutors. In an effort to focus attention on the need to increase civil citations, Gibson, Jones and Rep. Reggie Fullwood are hosting a forum TONIGHT at which several officials and stakeholders who deal with juveniles in trouble will discuss solutions. *Among those planning to appear on the panel is Duval County School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, who has reduced the number of students arrested at schools for low-level infractions. Duval’s parents, taxpayers and all who care about children should applaud the civil citation effort. It works better and it saves money. No first-time offender should be jailed for a low-level misdemeanor when clearly better options are available. Meeting Sept. 12 Subject: Community meeting on Civil Citations in and out of school Time: 6 p.m. Place: FSCJ Downtown Campus Auditorium (A-1068), 101 W. State St. Information: (904) 359-2553 or (904) 353-2180
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 14:26:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015