Florida, like other states, has a spending problem. Too many juveniles are spending time confined for non-violent infractions. And taxpayers are spending too much to keep them warehoused.
That’s the upshot of a recent report by the Justice Policy Institute. Its good news: nationwide the number of kids confined to residential facilities plunged 45 percent between 2001 and 2011. Its bad news: not only were 62 percent of the juveniles in 2011 confined for nonviolent offenses, but states also relied on ineffective, pricey ways to take them off the street.
To counter the disconnect, the report wisely recommends a change in mindset and spending. Kick the confinement addiction. Direct funding to community-based alternatives. And invest more on front-end prevention and diversion programs.
Policies for which Florida lawmakers ought to amp up full-throated support. And yes, that exhortation brings a strong sense of déja vu.
Over the past several years, Florida began that turn, steered by former state juvenile-justice secretary, Wansley Walters. The state slashed its numbers of incarcerated juveniles. Between fiscal years 2010-11 and 2012-13, juvenile arrests dipped 23 percent, felony juvenile arrests fell 17 percent, and cases transferred to adult court dropped 36 percent.
On the other hand, for each juvenile that landed in residential custody, taxpayers in 2013-14 footed the bill to the tune of $55,407.
Sticker shock isn’t the only thing that should give Floridians pause.
Simply being arrested carries debilitating costs for juveniles. The Children’s Campaign, a Tallahassee-based children’s advocacy group, notes that juvenile records for many non-serious crimes in the Sunshine State don’t sunset off one’s record until age 24, and two years later for other crimes.
Tarred with an arrest or conviction, juveniles often struggle to find decent jobs and suffer mental-health problems, the Justice Policy report found. They see their families fractured emotionally and financially. Even worse, many cannonball into the deep end of the justice system.
Florida’s recent adoption of civil citations — which gave police discretion to forgo arrests in favor of diversion programs or community service for first-time misdemeanor offenders — was a positive step. A bill sponsored by Sen. Rene Garcia, a Hialeah Republican, which would expand that police discretion to juveniles with blemishes on their records, is a next logical step.
Even if Garcia’s bill — or likeminded measures in both chambers — fail to gain traction, Florida can ill afford not to explore community-based options for juveniles and alternatives to reduce confinement for all but the most violent, troubled youth. Not only do these alternatives cost less, but they keep families close and support systems intact. A win for families, a win for taxpayers.
