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5.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.
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6.Florida must provide adequate resources to meet the mental and physical health needs of youth in the juvenile justice system.
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Blueprint Findings
The number and proportion of girls in the system has dramatically risen in recent years, which presents a host of health, mental health, and programmatic challenges.
•Fla. arrest rate for juvenile girls is 76% higher than that of the rest of the country (1,259 per 100,000 vs. 716 per 100,000).
•38,000 referrals for girls.
•Girls have grown to represent 30% of all youth referred, 18% of those incarcerated/committed (vs. 24% and 10% in 1992), and 6% of all youth transferred to adult court.

There is a disproportionate number of minorities in the JJ system, especially AA youth, and the disproportion grows worse the deeper in the system one goes.
•Black youth make up 21% of the population, but 52% of all referrals.

We must do a better job of meeting the mental health and physical needs of youth in the JJ system.
•49% of youth in commitment programs have been dx w/ some form of mental illness, and another 14% demonstrate behavior that suggests mental illness.
•65% of youth had a dx of, or behavior, suggesting a substance abuse disorder.