The number of Florida children arrested hit a 45-year historic low in the 2019-2020 fiscal year, state officials announced recently.
Overall juvenile arrests statewide declined 17% over the past fiscal year and felony juvenile arrests also declined 16%, according to data from the Department of Juvenile Justice.
“This historic low in juvenile arrests reflects our commitment to public safety in Florida and in keeping our young people from going down the wrong path,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement.
Charlotte County ranks low statewide in the total number of juvenile arrests, with 326 reported in the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Many counties reported numbers in the thousands, including Lee and Manatee counties. Hillsborough County reported the most juvenile arrests at 3,448.
The total number of juvenile arrests decreased by 33% over the past five years in Charlotte County, DJJ data shows.
Sheriff Bill Prummell initiated a program in 2017 that provides an alternative to arrest for juvenile offenders who meet certain criteria. The program is essential to reducing juvenile criminal records and reducing reoffending, Prummell said.
If the offender, their parents, and the victim agree to participate in the program, the Neighborhood Accountability Board meets to decide consequences in each case.
“The decrease in juvenile arrests throughout Charlotte County can be attributed to many factors — most importantly, the implementation of the civil citation program, which has proven to work with a 1% recidivism rate in 2019,” sheriff’s spokesperson Claudette Bennett told The Daily Sun. “Placement of well-trained school resource officers within the schools plays a tremendous role in this as well.”
Felony arrests in Charlotte only increased by 3% since the 2014-2015 fiscal year, and felony drug arrests increased from eight in 2014-2015 to 32 in the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
In Sarasota County, juvenile arrests have decreased every year for the past five years. In the 2014-2015 fiscal year, 888 children were arrested. Last fiscal year, 643 children were arrested; a 28% decrease.
Felony juvenile arrests also decreased by 24% over five years, and felony drug arrests have decreased by 35%, DJJ data shows.
DeSoto County, which has a low population, saw a 9% decrease in arrests over five years, but only reported 182 juvenile arrests last fiscal year. Felony juvenile arrests only decreased by 2% over five years, and felony drug arrests increased from two in 2014-2015 to seven in 2019-2020.
Statewide, there has been a 58% decrease in felony drug arrests over five years.
“I want to thank Gov. DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for supporting DJJ as we continue to invest in community-based interventions to keep kids out of the juvenile justice system while providing services to meet the needs of those in the deeper end of our system,” DJJ Secretary Simone Marstiller said in a statement. “The continued decline year after year in juvenile arrests is a testament to the strength of Florida’s juvenile justice system.”
State officials noted that although the coronavirus pandemic impacted juvenile arrests, trends indicate these arrests would have continued downward despite the public health crisis.
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December 03, 2020 at 02:18AM
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Florida juvenile arrests hit 45-year low | Charlotte Sun - yoursun.com
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