Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Disproportionate Minority Contact Subcommittee Meets January 8; Next Regional Workshop in Sarasota on January 11
Jan 4, 2010
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (“DJJ”) Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention State Advisory Group’s Disproportionate Minority Contact Subcommittee (“Subcommittee”) will meet on Friday, January 8 and, among other agenda items, review a report that examines disproportionate minority contact (“DMC”) prevention and intervention in both residential and aftercare services. DMC exists when the numbers of minority-based juveniles in secure detention or correctional facilities, jails and lockups exceeds the proportion that such groups represent in the general population.
To view the complete meeting agenda, click here.
Meeting details:
Date: Friday, January 8, 2010
Time: 10:00 a.m. through 10:30 a.m.
Place: Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Knight Building, Office of Prevention and Victim Services, 2727 Centerview Drive, Tallahassee
Call-in: 888.808.6959; conference code: 8504874949
The DMC initiative is a key component of the DJJ’s strategic plan. A series of DMC workshops have taken place in Florida counties that have the highest juvenile arrest rate. Counties that account for nearly 50 percent of the state’s juvenile delinquency referrals to DJJ include Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Orange, and Duval.
The next DMC workshop is scheduled for Circuit 12 (Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties) as follows:
Date: Monday, January 11, 2010
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00p.m.
Place: Sarasota County School Board (Blue Awning Building/Room 219), 1960 Landings Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34231
According to the most recent recorded numbers from 2007-2008, although black youth make up only 22 percent of Florida’s youth population, they account for 43 percent of the delinquency referrals handled by DJJ, with 50 percent of the cases admitted to secure detention and 53 percent of cases resulting in residential commitment. Further, black youth account for 55 percent of cases transferred to adult court.
For example, in Escambia County, although black children make up only 31 percent of the youth population in there, they account for 70 percent of the cases committed for delinquency.
Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Frank Mayernick Jr. at fmayernick@cftlaw.com.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to ccochran@cftlaw.com.