Florida’s third annual comprehensive study of alternatives to juvenile arrests for common youth misbehavior -- called Stepping Up: Florida’s Top Juvenile Civil Citation Efforts 2017 -- is authored by one of Florida’s top juvenile civil citation experts and supported by state and national juvenile justice reform and children’s organizations.
School districts fared better than counties, with nearly one-quarter (23 percent) earning an A or B grade. Law enforcement agencies had the highest percentage of A and B grades at 26 percent. Both districts and agencies had high numbers of F’s – 51 percent and 61 percent respectively.
The study reports nearly 9,000 arrests for common youth misbehavior in calendar year 2016, which is approximately 3,000 fewer than 2015.
For the second consecutive year, there were three counties—Duval, Hillsborough and Orange—that accounted for approximately one-quarter of all arrests statewide. The three counties arrested more than 2,000 youth with utilization rates of 28 percent, 37 percent and 43 percent, respectively.
The top-performing counties: Miami-Dade, Monroe and Pinellas.
When: 10 a.m. Monday October 23
Where: Use this URL to view the PowerPoint presentation online here: join.me/572-483-857 (Make sure your computer is compatible with join.me prior to the conference call). OR, dial-in by phone: +1.813.769.0500 Conference ID: 572-483-857#
Who: Interview opportunities with the following speakers:
- Dewey Caruthers, one of the state’s top juvenile civil citation experts and author of study – president of The Caruthers Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank
- Howard Simon, executive director of ACLU of Florida
- Scott McCoy, senior policy counsel of Southern Poverty Law Center
- Sal Nuzzo, vice president of policy of James Madison Institute
- Deborrah Brodsky, executive director of Florida State University Project on Accountable Justice
What: Stepping Up: Florida's Top Juvenile Civil Citation Efforts is an annual comprehensive review of statewide civil citation utilization and effectiveness, which spotlights impact on public safety, youth outcomes and taxpayer costs and savings.
- The nonpartisan study supporters: ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Joseph W. & Terrell S. Clark, Florida State University Project on Accountable Justice, James Madison Institute, Florida PTA., Florida League of Women Voters, Human Impact Partners
- Full study, County Reports, Report Card Map at www.caruthers.institute will be posted at www.caruthers.insitute on October 23.