New Study Shows Fewer FL Youth Locked-up
FL second highest in nation
Posted
March 04, 2013 07:55 am |
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TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida youths in trouble are spending less time in confinement and more time getting the help they need to get back on their feet.
The rate of confinement dropped by 32 percent from 1997 to 2010, according to a new study from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Still, the report said, close to 5,000 children were locked up in Florida in 2010, second-highest in the nation.
Link:
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Annie E
Casey Foundation - Read the report
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Juvenile in Justice/Richard Ross
Susan Weitzel, director of Florida Kids Count, said it's important to look at the larger picture for a troubled child in deciding what's best.
"The crime is not what the focus should be on," she said. "The focus is really that the crime is simply an identification of underlying issues."
The report pointed out that a majority of the youth
incarcerated are there for nonviolent offenses, such as
parole violations or possession of alcohol. There are 21
juvenile detention centers in Florida.
According to the National Prisoner Statistics Program,
on an average day in 2010 more than 7,000 juveniles were
serving time in adult prisons, putting them at risk for
physical harm.
While the report indicates a step in the right direction
with lower incarceration rates, said Laura Speer,
associate director of policy and research at the Casey
Foundation, more work remains to be done.
"Compared with other countries that are similar to the
United States," she said, "we still incarcerate our
young people many times higher than other countries do.
So there's a long way to go."
The number of Florida youths in confinement went down
across all racial groups, but the report also cited
racial and ethnic disparities. Nationwide, it noted,
African-Americans are nearly five times more likely to
be confined as are their white peers.
The study recommended continued use of rehabilitation
programs, and changing state policies on incarcerating
youths.
Florida receives recognition in the report for the
education provided to juveniles while in custody.
Links and photos added by the Observer