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NewsLack Of Rehab For Young Criminals Makes Our Community Less SafeEditorialTampa Bay Online March 8, 2007 Florida's juvenile justice system seems to attract attention only when there's a crisis. A year ago, the death of Martin Lee Anderson exposed the state's ineffective boot camps. Now that the camps are gone, some believe all is well. But that isn't true, say attorneys, judges and private contractors who run about 90 percent of the state's juvenile detention programs. They say the system is failing to provide the rehabilitation needed to help young offenders become productive citizens upon their release. And they are right. "Once they are found guilty, we say they are sick and need treatment - and then don't provide it," says Orange County Circuit Court Judge Robert Evans, the chairman of a statewide advisory group on juvenile crime prevention. House Juvenile Justice Committee chairman Rep. Mitch Needleman says the system is stumbling in its mission. With change afoot in Tallahassee, Gov. Charlie Crist should ask his new secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice, Walter McNeil, to lead a strategic re-examination of the juvenile justice system. McNeil should put together a group that assesses the system's outcomes and recommends ways to ensure that when young offenders are released into our communities, they are prepared to enter society's mainstream. The warning clouds on juvenile crime are dark. Law enforcement officers say the juvenile gang problem could become overwhelming if not addressed now. In 2005, 78 juveniles were arrested for murder, up from 54 the year before. Judges anticipate another jump when the latest statistics are released later this year. Another disturbing sign is that girls' placement in the system has increased exponentially in the past decade. They now account for one in three young offenders. Most girls who commit crimes disproportionably suffer from mental illness or are victims of violence themselves. Yet the legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability says girls are more harshly punished for less serious offenses, a disparity that should not be allowed to stand. Meanwhile, the private agencies that run the lion's share of juvenile justice programs - including longtime, credible participants such as Eckerd Youth Alternatives and Associated Marine Institutes - say years of flat funding mean young offenders aren't getting the counseling and mental health services they need. They say their operations are overwhelmed. Florida was not wrong to toughen its juvenile justice system in the mid-1990s when violent crime was on a rampage. But punishment alone is not enough. More needs to be done to prepare juvenile offenders for re-entry into society, and there's no better time than when they're in state custody. Florida should re-examine its approach for treating juvenile offenders before the next crisis hits. |
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