Date Published: February 6, 2008
TALLAHASSEE, FL (AP) -- Florida's juvenile justice system must provide gender-specific programming for its growing number of girls and address the disproportionate presence of minorities, according to a report on the system released Tuesday.
Those were among 52 recommendations made by a panel charged with improving the Department of Juvenile Justice, which had come under scrutiny after the death of a juvenile boot camp resident in 2006. Chaired by former Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan, now president of Florida Atlantic University, the 25-member panel held a series of six statewide public hearings before releasing its recommendations.
"What we've been doing in the past has not been addressing the problem," Lt. Gov Jeff Kottkamp said after receiving the report. "So we've got to have this balanced approach where we look at both rehabilitation and safety for the citizens of Florida."
Gov. Charlie Crist has proposed an additional $4.6 million for the department in the coming budget year based on the report. Of that, $2.6 million would go to gender-specific programs, such as gynecologist visits and, in some cases, prenatal care, Brogan said. The other $2 million would provide a staff nurse for every juvenile facility in the state.
To address the disproportionate number of minorities in the system, Brogan said the department needs to invest in community-based programs that help keep kids out of trouble. The trend of charging juveniles with misdemeanors for offenses that would have been dealt by schools in the past also needs to be reversed, Brogan said. Law enforcement officers could issue civil citations for minor offenses to keep kids out of the system, he said.
The panel tried to tackle the issue of children being shackled for their court appearances but ultimately recommended the formation of a separate committee to address only that issue. Many judges and attorneys throughout the state have voiced opposition to the practice of handcuffing small children.
David Fischer
First Coast News
February 6, 2008