Diversion programs are the answer, and lawmakers who came close to passing a statewide framework last year should complete this important work in the legislative session that begins Tuesday.Ĭivil diversion programs already are in operation in areas throughout the state. They can include requirements for community service, drug treatment, counseling, restitution or a combination of those things. Though they differ from county to county in the mechanics, they have the common goal of allowing kids to avoid a permanent record for a youthful mistake. This approach has concrete financial benefits: Taxpayers save money by not jailing and prosecuting minor crimes, and the programs are shown to reduce recidivism. And it's just smart policy to try to keep young people on the path to productive lives by not erecting barriers to employment, education and housing.īut not enough kids in Florida are getting that opportunity. A recent study by the Caruthers Institute think tank gave the state an overall F grade for low participation in diversion programs. Hillsborough County's participation rate is 36 percent. Pasco's is 68 percent and Hernando's is 61 percent.
One place that consistently does well is Pinellas, where 94 percent of kids caught in minor crimes receive a civil citation. Larry Ahern, R-Seminole, is modeled on Pinellas County's program and was written in consultation with Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. It would provide for diversion instead of arrest for several misdemeanor offenses and a few nonviolent felonies. Law enforcement officers, though, still would have the discretion to arrest a kid whose actions they feel crossed into criminal conduct. Even then, the names of those juveniles who are arrested would be entered into a system separate from the court records system.
If the juveniles are ultimately recommended for a diversion program and complete it, there would be no criminal record that could come up later in a background check. Video Cobie Former teacher was sentenced to prison for sexual missconduct with students. Officer discretion was the final point of disagreement with the Senate last year, so the legislation died. two teenage boys had sexual encounters with former high school teacher Cobie Prosecutors say in January a male high school student skipped a school assembly and went to Cobie’s classroom, where the two engaged in sexual activity. This year, lawmakers should not let that issue stand in the way of enacting needed reform. Lawmakers are looking at other progressive changes to how the state treats juvenile offenders. They include proposals for sending fewer juveniles to adult prisons a ban on indicting children younger than 14 as adults and requiring judges to provide justification for recommending adult punishment for kids. Juvenile justice in Florida needs a thorough reassessment - including, in some cases, stronger sanctions. The juvenile car theft epidemic in Pinellas County has exposed inadequacies that prevent even the most prolific thieves from being detained.ĭiversion programs, where they are put to meaningful use, have proven to be an effective way to correct dangerous behavior in juveniles and deter them from further crimes. But without statewide guidelines, too many kids in too many corners of the state face prosecution. Voters strongly support the use of diversion programs, and for good reason. They save money, and giving kids a second chance gives them an opportunity to become productive adults.Tech companies, governments, and international agencies have all announced measures to help contain the spread of the COVID-19, otherwise known as the Coronavirus. Some of these measures impose severe restrictions on people’s freedoms, including to their privacy and other human rights. Unprecedented levels of surveillance, data exploitation, and misinformation are being tested across the world. Many of those measures are based on extraordinary powers, only to be used temporarily in emergencies. Others use exemptions in data protection laws to share data. Some may be effective and based on advice from epidemiologists, others will not be. But all of them must be temporary, necessary, and proportionate. When the pandemic is over, such extraordinary measures must be put to an end and held to account. This page will be updated as measures are reported. This is a collective project led by PI alongside its global Network.