FLORIDA'S LONG LIST of PRISONS for KIDS

Proudly sponsored by
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
http://www.djj.state.fl.us/

THE CASE THAT KILLED FLORIDA'S BOOT CAMPS
The Mysterious Verdict in the case of Martin Lee Anderson

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Juvenile Justice Detention (Links)

Youth under age 18 arrested by law enforcement are evaluated immediately by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice to determine if they should be detained under lock and key to protect the public. Detention screening is performed at Juvenile Assessment Centers or by juvenile probation staff using a standardized Detention Risk Assessment Instrument.

Juvenile detention in Florida is a short-term temporary program. Juvenile offenders who require long-term sanctions and rehabilitation are placed into non-residential or residential correctional programs.

Two types of detention are available: secure detention and home detention.

Youth placed in secure detention have been assessed as risks to public safety and must remain in a physically secure detention center while awaiting court proceedings. They appear before the court within 24 hours of placement, at which time the juvenile judge decides whether there is a need for continued detention. Generally there is a 21-day limit to secure detention, but those charged with serious offenses can be held up to 30 days. Serious juvenile offenders also can be held in secure detention while awaiting placement in a residential corrections facility.

The Department operates 25 juvenile detention centers with a total of 2,042 beds. Youth in detention spend time doing schoolwork and receive services like anger management counseling. Juvenile Detention Officers receive specialized training and certification.

There were 54,155 admissions to secure detention in Florida in FY 1998-99. Admissions to secure detention dropped 2 percent in the last year, but rose sharply in previous years, including a 77 percent growth between FY 1992-91 and FY 1996-97.

Home detention provides monitoring of youths within the community. Youth may be placed on electronic monitoring through the Radio Frequency system (anklets) or through a Voice Recognition System. The youths go home but their movements are restricted through the use of one of the two methods of electronic monitoring. Youths on home detention wearing an electronic monitoring anklet will set off an alarm if the youth leaves home. Youths on the Voice Recognition system are called randomly at home during the hours the youth is supposed to be at home. An alert is generated if the voice does not match the one registered in the system or the youth does not answer the phone.

Youths arrested for minor crimes that are not considered a risk to public safety may be released into the custody of their parents or guardian.

Northwest Region Residential and Correctional Facilities