The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office assumed responsibility for three important juvenile crime prevention programs in January of 2001. Sheriff Roth believes in juvenile intervention programs because he feels we must become involved immediately with youthful offenders to help prevent further delinquent behavior and to prevent youthful offenders from becoming adult offenders.
The intervention programs are Intensive Delinquency Diversion Service or IDDS; the Civil Citation program, and Teen Court. IDDS is financed through a contract with the Department of Juvenile Justice that provides 40 slots for juvenile offenders overseen by three highly trained case workers. Teen Court is financed through a surcharge on court cases. The program is operated by one full and one part-time case worker. The Civil Citation program is funded through a state grant that provides a part time case worker.
Intensive Delinquency Diversion Service (IDDS)
The target population includes all male and female youth under 18 years of age with a focus upon youth 16 yrs. old and younger. These youth are referred to the Department of Juvenile Justice for delinquent behavior that if committed by an adult would be criminal acts. These youth are at high risk of becoming serious or chronic offenders.
The counseling program strives to facilitate positive changes in the youths behavior and a change in direction away from the delinquent mind-set.
Admission criteria for children to be considered:
Through partnerships with local agencies, a wide variety of counseling and educational services are available to the youths in the program at reduced or no cost. The program focuses on many problematic areas, including family issues, gender specific (Adolescent Girls) issues, and minority over-representation issues. Regarding family issues, the aim will be to develop services to address the needs of the family directed toward improving family function. Relative to gender specific (Adolescent Girls) and minority over-representation issues program services will be identified and delivered with the goal of fostering positive identity development. Further, program services are intended to deal with risk factors relating to the gender specific and minority populations by addressing the protective factors and skill competencies, which are intended to deter future delinquent behavior.
Services are provided six days a week, and outside the traditional 8 AM to 5 PM workday. The following components are provided:
Evaluation of the youth is initiated within 72 hours of admission. The evaluation includes: strengths and needs assessment of family members as they relate to the school, community, and support systems for parent and child. A behavior management program is established to include communication and life skills counseling and social support networking. Behavior Modification Techniques and tools are also be introduced to the family.
Other areas of education support and behavior modification include: Social skill enhancement, self sufficiency, skill enhancement, life skill enhancement, mental health and counseling services, substance abuse counseling, education/academic assistance, pre-vocational services, community work service and restitution to victims.
Civil Citation Program
The Civil Citation program offers immediate intervention with counseling, education and other appropriate community resources to divert first or second time juvenile misdemeanor offenders from the juvenile criminal justice system. In 2001 we were offered an opportunity to apply for an Enhance grant for our existing citation program and expand services to Monroe County youth by hiring a part-time case-manager to maximize services in the middle and upper keys; provide drug testing for all referrals and to provide educational components including the Y.E.S. program addressing retail theft; and anger management counseling.
The program allows law enforcement officers the option of issuing a civil citation instead of arresting the juvenile.
The child, parent or guardian has the option to accept or reject the citation. Refusing the citation removes the child from the diversion process. The Sheriff’s office will then process the citation so that it proceeds to court as a law violation.
When a citation is issued, the procedures are:
1. Parent or guardian must sign the citation approving the child’s participation.
2. Both parent/guardian and the juvenile must report to the program within seven working days from the date the juvenile signs the citation.
3. The juvenile is assigned community work service and may receive other counseling referrals based upon an assessed need (other services may include: shoplifting prevention, drug testing, anger management).
A citation may be issued for a law violation not witnessed by the deputy but subject to arrest e.g. shoplifting.
A citation issued for possession of an illicit drug or alcohol and/or where the confirmation or suspicion of intoxication is established requires contact and release to the parent or guardian.
The child will have up to 90 days to complete the program successfully
When the child fails to complete the sanctions and/or services established in a timely manner or when a new law violation occurs the child’s citation is referred back to the juvenile court clerk for processing as if the case was originally handled as an arrest. The state attorney and DJJ is also be notified of the failure of the supervision and that the case is being introduced into the docket.
Teen Court
Teen court is a nationally recognized program aimed at preventing further delinquent behavior by youthful offenders. Law enforcement officers have the option of referring a teen offender to the Teen Court program. However, the youthful offender must first admit guilt before entering the program. Teen Court is aimed at first offenders in minor cases.
Teen Court only accepts children who have had no contact with the Juvenile Criminal Justice System, including juvenile citations.
Teen Court is a program, like the Civil Citation program, that provides immediate intervention with the provision of sanctions and services in an effort to divert the child away from ongoing delinquent behavior.
The format for the imposition of sanctions and services is different from the civil citation program where the case management counselor imposes sanctions and services based upon a needs assessment. Since the child has admitted guilt, Teen Court is designed to determine punishment. The child’s case is presented in a formal court room setting (in one of the county court houses) by a teen prosecutor and defense attorney. The court is presided over by a Judge (usually a practicing attorney ) . The sanctions and services are selected from a menu of choices, and are imposed by a jury of the defendant’s peers, and decided based upon mitigating and aggravating circumstances related to the child’ s case, the home, school and community behavior. Teen courts are held in Key West, Marathon and Plantation Key.
For more information, contact Juvenile Diversion Program Supervisor Sherwood Hanford via email at shanford@keysso.net or by phone at 305-292-7129.