Florida is making strides in the fight against juvenile delinquency, Gov. Rick Scott announced on Tuesday.
Scott noted that juvenile arrests continued to drop in Florida, with a reduction of 8 percent in 2013-14. Thats part of a larger pattern. A new report from the state Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) has found a 36 percent decline in juvenile arrests in the last five years, leading to the lowest juvenile arrest level in more than 30 years.
Making Florida the best state in the nation to get a job and raise a family is our mission and that starts with making sure we have safe communities for our families and job creators, Scott said on Tuesday. I would like to thank everyone at the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and our hard-working law enforcement community for their continued work.
This decrease in arrests over nearly every juvenile offense category, including serious offenses, shows that DJJs reform initiatives are working, said Interim Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Christina Daly. Our department made a commitment to transforming our states juvenile justice system to provide the right services to Floridas youth while remaining focused on increasing public safety. While we are proud of the work weve done, this is only the beginning of what our agency, along with our many stakeholders, can accomplish.
Scotts team pointed to DJJs recent Roadmap to System Excellence which reformed the departments focus by prioritizing community interventions and increasing educational efforts and vocational training. DJJs plan, which has been in place for two years, also includes more paths to employment for troubled youth.
Daly said on Tuesday that reform efforts would continue as Florida looks to move problem children and teens into becoming productive members of society.
We are dedicated to a comprehensive strategy working with these children to provide not only the treatment they need but the tools they need to stay on a successful path once they are no longer under our care, Daly said. We will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement and in the community to provide the services necessary to ensure all Florida youth are provided the opportunity to be successful.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
