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2	Why the Blueprint Commission on Juvenile Justice was created…
3	The Blueprint Commission: New Beginnings Governor Crist and Secretary McNeil announced the creation of the Blueprint Commission during Juvenile Justice Week at the Capitol in March Twenty-Five Commissioners selected in July Conducted public hearings from September until December
4	The Blueprint Commission: Secretary’s Charge Review Florida’s Juvenile Justice System and develop policy and systemic recommendations to reform Florida’s system and ensure a fair and balanced approach to dealing with at-risk youth.
5	Juvenile Justice Challenges The Juvenile Justice System faces an array of challenges: A growing juvenile population statewide A recent increase in serious felony referrals A growing population of girls in the system A disproportionate population of minorities in the system A burgeoning population of youth in secure detention
6	Juvenile Justice Challenges The Juvenile Justice System faces an array of challenges: Juveniles with extraordinary mental health and physical health needs Large residential institutions lacking optimum conditions for rehabilitation Intake and risk-assessment tools that are inconsistent from county to county Inadequate resources for community prevention and intervention efforts
7	Perspective on the problem… We have a “rehabilitative” system. We have a privatized system: - 81 of 100 commitment facilities are run by private providers, and 83% of the 5,000 beds in the State. Most crime in Florida is committed by adults: - 89% of all arrests in Fla. are adults. Most juveniles are law abiding children: - Of 18 million Floridians, 1.9 million are 10-17 yrs. old. Of these, only 4.8% were referred to JJ system (91,497 youth).
8	Perspective on the problem… Overall, juvenile crime in Florida is down: Since 1995, the number of youth referred to the DJJ system is down 24% (4.8% of youth today vs. 7.1 % in 1995). Commitments are down 11% over the past 5 yrs. (11,261 vs. 9,264). From 2003-2007, the number of youth referred to DJJ is down 6%. Most juvenile crime is minor crime: 67% of the 146,765 referrals to the JJ system are for misdemeanors (48%) or status offenses (19%). 31,000 of those (21%) are first time misdemeanor offenders.
9	Perspective on the problem… Florida is tough on juvenile crime: The number of youth referred to adult court is up 23% from 2003-2007 (approx. 3,500). Florida commits 31% more of its youth than the national average (285 youth per 100,000 population vs. national average of 218 per 100,000). Florida throws into secure detention 14% more of its youth than the national average (95 per 100,000 population vs. 83 per 100,000). Serious juvenile crime, though, is on the rise: - While overall referrals are down 2.9% since 2003, and while misdemeanor referrals are down 8.4%, serious felony referrals are up 33%. Murder referrals are up 70%, attempted murder up 130%, and armed robbery up 67%.
10	Blueprint Findings
11	Blueprint Findings
12	Blueprint Findings
13	Blueprint Findings
14	Blueprint Commission Recommendations There are 52 recommendations proposed by the Blueprint Commission, with implementation over a five-year period.
15	Priority Recommendations
16	Diversion (#1) Divert first-time misdemeanor offenders away from arrest and the juvenile justice system Issuance of a civil citation and community-based sanctions More than 70,000 misdemeanor referrals to DJJ each year. Over 33,000 are for first-time offenses
17	Diversion (#2) Every circuit should have a full Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) to include comprehensive substance abuse and mental health screenings and available community based intervention or treatment services.
18	Detention Reform (#5) Provide alternative detention settings for low-risk youth Eligible for secure detention but pose low risk of flight or public safety. Alternatives: Supervised home detention; after-school and evening reporting centers.
19	Gender-Specific Services (#13) Deliver adequate gender-specific services throughout the Juvenile Justice Continuum* Screening and Assessment Community-based prevention services Life-skills training within secure facilities *Governor Crist recommended funding $2.6 million to address Gender-Specific Services
20	Prevention and Intervention (#52) Fully fund juvenile probation staff over the next three years 526 positions needed. Possibly the most important “prevention” tool available.
21	Prevention and Intervention (#33) Divert youth age 10 and under who commit delinquent acts Young children typically cannot independently develop criminal intent. Placing very young children in detention breeds "students" on delinquency. 1,756 youth age 10 and under were referred to DJJ in 2006
22	Prevention and Intervention (#49) Develop Gang Prevention / Intervention Programs Partner with Department of Education, Attorney General and Universities to develop gang prevention curricula and programs for schools, parents, youth on dangers of gang association and gang involvement.
23	Prevention and Intervention (#31 & 32) Address over-use of school zero-tolerance policies: 22,926 delinquency referrals from schools. 52% of children arrested in school are being arrested for their first offense. 67% of school offenses are misdemeanors. Review and amend policies Ensure consistent application of policies Develop alternatives to expulsion
24	Prevention and Intervention (#28) Develop Statewide Prevention Awareness Campaign Inventory of prevention programs Provide to schools, parents, youth, communities Develop public service announcements that promote youth and family awareness of services to strengthen families
25	Prevention and Intervention (#48) Transfer local prevention grant funding to Juvenile Justice Circuit Boards and County Councils Fund local prevention efforts Report outcomes to the Department
26	Detention Reform (#4) Automate and Validate Florida Juvenile Detention Risk Assessment Instrument Florida’s instrument has not been validated to ensure appropriate risk scoring. Manual scoring increases errors and allows opportunity for bias.
27	Detention Reform (#6) Modify the Detention Risk Assessment Instrument to aggravate for prior Residential Commitment Prior residential commitment should be a significant risk factor Allow for an aggravation of the score up to 3 additional points
28	Health and Medical Services (#9) Review Health Assessments, Care, Oversight* General health, mental health, substance abuse, dental, developmental disabilities Independent review of medical service needs in DJJ *Governor Crist recommended funding 24 full-time nurses and $2 million. (One Registered Nurse per Detention Center to provide assessments, assist with and provide medical oversight for contracted medical services.)
29	Legal Representation (#17 and 18) Authorize additional representation by Public Defenders Require consultation with an attorney before guilty plea or waiver of representation Authorize public defender representation of youth at all stages of delinquency proceedings.
30	Accountability (#36) Encourage Outcome-Base Contracting Allow DJJ to contract based upon interim and long-term outcome performance measures instead of compliance based contracts
31	Workforce (#41) Recruit and Retain a Quality Workforce Funding for a role delineation study to determine core competencies for all state and contracted direct care staff and revision of minimum hiring requirements. Review and increase of base rates of pay for all direct care staff. Development of professional curriculum, continuing education requirements, and establishment of a certification program to include standards, requirements, exams, certification, decertification. Special risk retirement benefit for direct service employees who work directly with youth.
32	Questions & Answers