NO RELIEF FOR FLORIDA'S YOUTH
SB 792 by Senator Baker (R-Eustis) was placed on the agenda of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee for a Tuesday morning hearing. SB 792 is companion to HB 273.
It is anticipated that a “strike-all amendment” will be offered to the original Senate bill, thereby bringing over from the House the bill language as it currently exists.
The coalition working against the bill is urging that opposition be communicated today.
Talking points:
- The bill widens the net of children being held in detention and will push up costs to the counties, thereby reducing already scarce resources available for local prevention and intervention efforts.
- The bill would entangle more youth in detention and lock-ups, including girls, by specifying circumstances that automatically trigger secure detention, including running away, and eliminates the required findings of fact prior to placing youth in detention. This is a concern for all youth and it is especially troubling for girls – given that most girls who are detained now represent a very low risk to public safety in terms of violence or further re-offending.
- The bill removes the experience of state juvenile justice personnel regarding the determination of the appropriate restrictiveness level for youth when committed to the state. The staff to be made advisory to the process should continue to be the decision-maker.
- The bill creates additional burdens on public defenders, state attorneys, clerks, judicial resources, as well as increased costs for detention centers that enacting "pre-adjudicatory orders" would bring about. These orders would result in additional court hearings and a large number of children locked up in detention centers for alleged misbehavior while the court and attorneys sort it out. Plain and simple, these orders will ensnare low risk youth.
- This bill will make worse the problem of disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system.
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice’s internal reports reflect that only 3 detention centers did not exceed capacity at some point during FY 2006-07; 7 detention centers exceeded their capacity by 180 days or more during the same time period, and that 2 facilities exceeded capacity by more than 300 days.
Take Action - Opposition to the bill should be directed to:
Senator Paula Dockery (Chair)
Senator Dave Aronberg (Vice-Chair)
Senator Michael S. Bennett
Senator Victor D. Crist
Senator M. Mandy Dawson
Senator James E. King, Jr.
Senator Evelyn J. Lynn
Senator Frederica S. Wilson
Senator Stephen R. Wise
NATIONAL CENTER FOR GIRLS/FLORIDA
Dr. Lawanda Ravoira is requesting a letter of support from juvenile justice stakeholders and the growing number of supporters of the Children’s Campaign Girls on the Edge effort for a National Center for Girls / Florida to be developed by the National Center on Crime & Delinquency (NCCD).
NCCD has an excellent track record and has submitted a request for a federal funding directive to create the National Center for Girls to be opened in Jacksonville. The Center would provide training, technical assistance and research for girls in or at risk of entering the juvenile justice and child welfare systems in Florida and throughout the country.
Dr. Ravoira is garnering support for the initiative and will be traveling to Washington on April 14 th for individual meetings. A copy of your letter of support would be carried personally by her. The letter should include a statement about your support of the proposed Center as well as your perspective as to why this is an important need.
Take Action : Please send the letter of support directly to the United States Senators and Representatives listed below and email a copy of it to Dr. Lawanda Ravoira at lravoira@aol.com.
Sample Letter of Support
National Center for Girls/Florida
Dear { }
I urge you to support the creation of the NCCD National Center for Girls/Florida.
Nationally and in Florida, professionals are struggling with how to respond to the escalating numbers of girls entering the juvenile justice system and how to address the needs of girls caught between the child welfare and justice systems. In Florida, girls account for one out of three referrals to juvenile justice, yet, appropriate services that are designed to meet their unique needs are lacking and in many areas non-existent.
Despite research documenting gender differences in offending and pathways to delinquency, juvenile justice systems have been slow to implement programs designed to target the needs and underlying motivations of girls. The current system is ill-equipped to deal with the growing population of girls entering the justice system as well as the “crossover” girls (those caught between the juvenile justice and child welfare systems).
There is an urgent need for gender responsive training, technical assistance and research specific to girls. As a well-respected leader in the juvenile justice and child welfare fields, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency will be able to bring its experience and expertise to bear in developing effective training and technical support programs that are urgently needed in every part of the system.
I urge you to support this timely project that will meet a critical need not only in Florida but in states throughout the country.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance to support this very worth while project.
Respectfully,
(signature)
The Honorable Bill Nelson
U.S. Senate
716 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington , DC 20510
The Honorable Mel Martinez
U.S. Senate
356 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington , DC 20510
The Honorable Gus Bilirakis
U.S. House of Representatives
1630 Longworth House Office Building
Washington , DC 20515
The Honorable Mario Diaz-Balart
U.S. House of Representatives
328 Cannon House Office Building
Washington , DC 20515
The Honorable Ander Crenshaw
U.S. House of Representatives
127 Cannon House Office Building
Washington , DC 20515
P.S. DON'T FORGET TO MAIL THE ORIGINAL TO THE U.S SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES LISTED ABOVE AND EMAIL OR SEND A COPY TO DR. LAWANDA RAVOIRA FOR HER INFORMATION PACKET.
Email: lravoira@aol.com
Lawanda Ravoira
2580 Herschel Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32204
This Juvenile Justice Front Burner is brought to you by:
Roy Miller, President
Christen Smiley, Communications Coordinator