Juvenile Justice highlights steep declines in arrests, launches Florida Scholars Academy; advocates warn of geographic inequities and lack of juvenile reentry

Secretary Hall presented the Department of Juvenile Justice’s data‑driven approach to prevention, assessment and placement and described the new Florida Scholars Academy, a statewide education system for youth in DJJ custody.

Hall said Florida’s juvenile arrests have fallen roughly 75% over 24 years while the state’s youth population has grown; disposals to probation and commitments to residential programs have also declined substantially. She told the committee the department’s budget is about $748 million with roughly 3,251.5 FTE, the agency operates 21 state detention centers and much of service delivery is provided by contracted local partners (for example, the Florida Network, PACE Center for Girls, AMI Kids and others).

Hall explained how the department uses standardized tools — a detention risk assessment (DRAI), the community assessment tool (CAT) for probation risk, the Residential Assessment for Youth (RAY) at commitment, and a Standardized Program Evaluation Protocol (SPEP) to monitor fidelity of evidence‑based programming — to drive placement and service decisions. She emphasized a dispositional matrix that recommends placements based on risk and need; when courts follow the department’s recommendation for an “optimal placement” recidivism is lower than when placements diverge from that guidance.

The department described the Florida Scholars Academy as a statewide K‑12 system launched by contract with Florida Virtual School (FLVS). Hall said the academy was created after legislation and an initial startup appropriation (roughly $12 million) and noted the current year’s operating resources include reappropriated startup dollars plus recurring funds and federal education funds; she summarized the total available in the first full year at about $33 million (including federal grants such as Title I and II). The academy is a blended‑learning model with in‑class teachers and FLVS content; Hall said FLVS has filled about 85% of its instructional positions and the system provides continuity when students move across facilities. Early outcomes the department cited in the first six months included nearly 50 diplomas awarded to youth in custody and more than 2,000 course completions.

Hall acknowledged start‑up challenges including technology/bandwidth needs at some facilities and continuity of individualized education plan (IEP) services; she said many students are transient and some special‑education needs may be under‑identified on intake but that FLVS and DJJ are developing processes to identify and serve those students.

During public comment Roy Miller of a child‑advocacy organization urged lawmakers to address what he called “injustice by geography.” He said youth citation use varies widely across counties (citing examples: Miami‑Dade roughly 92%, Pinellas about 90.5%, Duval rising from the mid‑30s to 73% recently, Hillsborough about 50%, Orange about 30%, other counties far lower) and argued that inconsistent use of citations and concentrated use of the Baker Act in a small number of counties produce unequal outcomes. Miller also told the committee there is effectively no juvenile reentry program for youth leaving residential commitment programs and recommended reviving or investing in reentry services.

Several senators asked Hall follow‑up questions about data sharing with schools, juvenile assessment centers, lockout situations when parents do not pick up youth from confinement, the Broward detention center site planning and the new career‑technical reentry program pilots the department has opened. Hall said the agency will provide additional information and welcomed committee members to visit programs in their districts.