Introduction
The state of Florida has many juvenile options for minor offenders. Various divisions and programs are created with a purpose of working for the interests of children. They also aim at reducing juvenile offenses. The Civil Citation and Teen Court Programs are the two main juvenile options that deal with juvenile prevention. The juvenile justice systems seek to divert youth from deeper involvement in delinquent acts. At the same time, they reduce stigmatization and exposure to negative role models (Clear, Cole, and Reisig, 2012). This paper attempts to compare the Civil Citation Court and Teen Court Programs in Florida. It seeks to understand how each of these courts handles juvenile offenses (the stakeholders involved in each of the programs, and the services offered in each program). The paper concludes by identifying the most effective program between the two, in reducing juvenile crimes.
Civil Citation
The Civil Citation Programs in the state of Florida get their primary funding through the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Additionally, the County Juvenile justice dollars, the country’s Sheriff Department, and other community-based social agencies are important sources of funding for these programs. The Blueprint Commission of Florida (2008) says that the funding for each Civil Citation Program ranges from $113,000 to $137,000. Most of the Civil Citation Programs normally have a one-full-time employee. However, the program can have up to six employees, working in various units. The One-Civil Citation Program normally handles between 40 and 1600 youths, with an average number being 500. The Florida statute indicates that all Civil Citations handle cases involving second misdemeanants.
However, the practical reality is that the admission of the second misdemeanants varies from one program to the other. It is upon the program to determine which cases need to be handled. The major considerations in determining whether a certain act falls within the jurisdiction of the civil courts include the location and the law enforcement priorities in specific cases. With regard to middle schools and high schools, the majority of the reported cases include assaults, school fights, and shoplifting. In a nutshell, the crimes handled by the Civil Citation Programs of Florida include theft, property related theft, substance abuse, disruptive misdemeanors, violent offenses, traffic offenses, and any other miscellaneous offense. The most common offense handled by the Civil Citation Courts is petty theft, whereas the most serious offenses are those that involve violence.
The most commonly applied sanction in the Civil Citation Courts is the community service, which may range in time, based on the circumstance of the case. Community service is administered through various ways. These include youth advice from program officers, placements where the offender is required to follow up, group activities in parks and other locations, as well as the home-based community service.
The choice of the service referred to a juvenile is normally guided by the specific needs of a child. For example, when courts establish that the juvenile is susceptible to peer pressure that may lead him/her to other crimes, the court may opt to administer sessions such as mentoring sessions and attending sessions aimed at increasing resistance skills. The nature of the administrative services makes it difficult to determine the impact of the Civil Citation Programs. The only measure that can be used to assess this impact is the compliance of the juvenile, on the program services.
The Civil Citation Courts have faced a number of barriers, which hinder their effectiveness. Policy barriers are common hindrances to the effectiveness of the Civil Citation Programs. The Florida Citation Courts have a zero tolerance policy for a juvenile offense, which in some instances lead to the courts dealing with all types of offenses, including the minor ones. The implementation barriers are also common hindrances, given that some stakeholders have the mindset that the juvenile processes are meant to be punitive. These processes need to be restored. They are supposed to work basing on the best interests of the youth. Some youths have also failed to comply with the directives given by the Civil Citation Courts, which only serve to undermine their effectiveness.
Teen Courts in Florida
Unlike the Civil Citation Programs, the Teen Courts in Florida have a bigger budget, which is approximately $119,300. It also ranges between $ 25,000 and $500,000. The Teen Courts normally have at least two full time employees. Unlike the Civil Citation Courts, the Teen Courts are more flexible, when it comes to determining their jurisdiction of criminal offenses. The statute establishing the Teen Courts in Florida does not make any specific directions on the offenses that fall within the scope of the Teen Court. However, the Teen Courts have established a precedent of dealing with the most serious offenses. Some of the Teen Courts are limited to dealing with first time juvenile offenders. Those that have been in operation for a long time, handle felony cases with the assistance of the State Attorney. Gilbert and Settles (2007) narrate that most of the common offenses, involving the Teen Courts include cases of theft and possession of Marijuana.
The Teen Court relies on the Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC), in assessing juvenile offenders. For instance, it bases its assessment on offender’s psychosocial behavior, the risk posed, family background, and other relevant information. Some Teen Courts also rely on the parents of the juvenile offender, for assessments. The number of sanctions employed by the Teen Courts are also evaluated and included. However, they are not limited to community service. Their sanctions are mandatory. Failure to comply with these sanctions gives the court power to introduce other stringent sanctions. The courts operate under the philosophy of offering restorative justice. Therefore, community service is the most common sanction, where the offender is sent to work in areas where he or she is required to improve his or her life. The Teen Courts have very supportive intervention programs, which are integrated as alternatives to community services. This may include taking teens that have been found to consume drugs or alcohol, through rehabilitation (Hatcher, Bride, King, and Catrett, 2011).
Conclusion
From the discussion, it is clear that the juvenile justice systems in the United States and Florida, handle cases involving offenders aged below 18 years. However, the juvenile justice systems normally have several programs all working for the same purpose. The paper has shown the comparison between the Teen Court and the Civil Citation Courts in Florida. The Teen Courts are more operational and permanent than the Civil Citation Courts. The teen courts are also more flexible in determining the admissibility of the offenses that fall within its jurisdiction.
References
Blueprint Commission of Florida. (2008). Getting Smart about Juvenile Justice in Florida: A Report of the Blueprint Commission. Tallahassee, Florida: Blueprint Commission of Florida.
Clear, T. R., Cole, G. F., & Reisig, M. D. (2012). American corrections. CengageBrain. com.
Gilbert, M. J., & Settles, T. L. (2007). Indigenous Development of Neighborhood-Restorative Community Justice. Criminal Justice Review, 21(1), 5-25.
Hatcher, S. S., Bride, B. E., Oh, H., King, D. M., & Catrett, J. F. (2011). An assessment of secondary traumatic stress in juvenile justice education workers. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 17(3), 208-217.