The News Service of Florida: DJJ Recruits Volunteer Chaplains to Offer Counseling
Feb 25, 2009
The News Service of Florida reported on February 24, 2009, that the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice began a volunteer chaplaincy program designed to aid programs impacted by state budget cuts.
The article is reprinted below.
A list of upcoming juvenile justice-related meetings also is included below.
Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Frank Mayernick Jr. at Colodny Fass.
DJJ Recruiting Chaplains to Offer Counseling to Offenders
By KATHLEEN HAUGHNEY
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, Feb. 24, 2009…..The Department of Juvenile Justice rolled out a volunteer chaplaincy program Tuesday that Department Secretary Frank Peterman said will help shore up programs that have seen budget cuts in the past few years.
The program forms a network of chaplains throughout the state who will be available to children and families who are in the juvenile justice system. Department officials said they want every child in the system to have access to a chaplain for counseling throughout their time in the system. It would also attempt to keep the child with the same chaplain throughout the process and continue the relationship after the child is released.
The department has worked with chaplains before, but wants to establish a more coordinated effort to provide counseling to juvenile offenders.
“Families and children are starving today, they’re starving for a touch of hope and that’s what we bring,” said Rev. Ken Scrubbs, a minister at First Baptist Church of Leesburg, who attended the department’s press conference and will be working as a volunteer.
Department officials began training a group of ministers and lay people Tuesday and are embarking on a major recruitment effort to bring in more faith leaders throughout the state.
The department has tried to heavily focus its efforts on preventative programs throughout the state to keep children from engaging in crime. Department officials have argued that it will save more money in the long run, but the short-term budget situation has caused the agency, like many others, to operate on a bare bones budget.
The Department of Juvenile Justice’s budget shrank from more than $695 million to $642.8 million from last year’s budget to the current year. And with revenue collections slated to be lower than expected, state lawmakers are expecting to craft a budget this spring that’s about $5 billion less than this year’s.
Peterman said the programs definitely help the department accomplish its goals with a shrinking budget.
“Volunteer programs for our department are very important and …helps shore up some of the areas where we’ve been depleted in resources,” he said. “The volunteer effort is a wonderful way to fill in those gaps.”
Illuminating the Sunshine State
http://www.newsserviceflorida.com
Upcoming Juvenile Justice-Related Meetings
JJDP State Advisory Group Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee
The Florida Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Advisory Group will hold a Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee meeting via teleconference on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at Noon. The call-in number is: 888.808.6959; conference code: 8504874949.
Disproportionate Minority Contact Training Session
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice will hold a Disproportionate Minority Contact Training session on Friday, February 27, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. at the Center for Family and Child Enrichment, Inc. located at 1825 NW 167 Street in Miami Gardens, Florida. For more information on the training session, click here.
Community Forum – Addressing Minority Overrepresentation in the Juvenile Justice System
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice will hold a Community Forum on Saturday, February 28, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. at the JPM Centre at Miami Gardens Drive, Inc. located at 4055 NW 183rd Street in Miami Gardens, Florida. For more information on the Community Forum, click here.
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