The Adolescent Population of Florida

Florida's population of 10 to 17-year-olds decreased 3% between 2007 and 2011. As of August 2012, Florida's population of 10 to 17 year-olds was estimated to be approximately 1.84 million.

Most Frequent Juvenile Offenses

• Misdemeanor assault or battery was the most common reason for referral to the Department.   During FY 2011-12, there were 13,461 delinquency arrests where the most serious offense was misdemeanor assault or battery.
• Burglary is the felony offense committed most often by juveniles.  During FY 2011-12, there were 10,124 delinquency arrests where the most serious offense was burglary.

"Moving in the Right Direction"

The majority of the Department’s key indicators of public safety and delinquency in Florida continue to trend in the right direction.  There are fairly substantial reductions in almost every major offense category, including the most serious juvenile offenses.  The following section summarizes these trends.

Overall Juvenile Delinquency Rates in Florida

Today, Floridians are substantially less likely to be the victim of crime involving a juvenile than at any other time since the Department started tracking this statistic in 1990.

• Florida's juvenile arrest rate is down from 76 delinquency arrests per 1,000 juveniles during FY 2007-08 to 52 delinquency arrests for every 1,000 juveniles during FY 2011-12.

Arrests and Youth Received

The Department received fewer delinquency arrests last year than at any point since FY 1985-86.

• During FY 2011-12, DJJ received 96,515 delinquency arrests representing 58,173 youth.
• Since FY 2007-08, the number of arrests is down 34% from 145,530 to 96,515 and the number of youth arrested for delinquency is down 35% from 89,930 to 58,173.

Serious and Violent Juvenile Delinquency (offenses that declined)

During FY 2011-12, the Department received 29,384 delinquency arrests where a felony was the most serious offense, down 35% from 45,242 felony arrests received during FY 2007-08.

• Auto Theft arrests decreased 50% from 2,422 during FY 2007-08 to 1,207 in FY 2011-12.
• Aggravated Assault and Battery arrests declined 35% from 8,654 during FY 2007-08 to 5,619 in FY 2011-12. 
• Armed Robbery arrests decreased 48% from 1,457 during FY 2007-08 to 754 in FY 2011-12.  
• Sexual Battery arrests decreased 18% from 620 during FY 2007-08 to 506 in FY 2011-12. 
• Murder/Manslaughter arrests decreased 49% from 126 during FY 2007-08 to 64 in FY 2011-12. 
• Attempted Murder arrests fell 42% from 67 during FY 2007-08 to 39 in FY 2011-12. 
• Burglary arrests decreased 24% from 13,274 during FY 2007-08 to 10,124 in FY 2011-12.

Juvenile Drug and Alcohol Arrests

• Drug felonies decreased 55% from 4,973 in FY 2007-08 to 2,232 in FY 2011-12.
• Misdemeanor Drug arrests declined 26% from 10,163 during FY 2007-08 to 7,539 in FY 2011-12.
• Alcohol offense arrests declined 34% from 1,962 during FY 2007-08 to 1,299 during FY 2011-12.

Secure Detention Utilization

The overall utilization of the Department's secure detention facilities declined in four of the past five years.

• Between FY 2007-08 and FY 2011-12, statewide utilization of secure juvenile detention declined 9%.
• Between FY 2007-08 and FY 2011-12, admissions to secure detention declined 33%.

Probation Placement Trends

Fewer youth and cases are being disposed by the court to a probation service.

• Between FY 2007-08 and FY 2011-12, the number of delinquency cases disposed to a probation service declined by 27% from 37,772 during FY 2007-08 to 27,502 during FY 2011-12.
• Between FY 2007-08 and FY 2011-12, the number of individual youth assigned to a probation service declined by 32% from 25,223 during FY 2007-08 to 17,246 during FY 2011-12.

Residential Placement Trends

• During FY 2011-12, judges committed 3,690 individual juveniles to residential commitment facilities, down 44% from 6,568 during FY 2007-08. 
• Between FY 2007-08 and FY 2011-12 the number of boys committed to the Department declined 42% from 5,572 to 3,239.
• Between FY 2007-08 and FY 2011-12 the number of girls committed to the Department declined 55% from 996 to 451.

Juveniles Transferred to Adult Court

The number of youth in Florida transferred to adult court declined 14% last year, and has gone down 44% since FY 2007-08, from 3,678 to 2,063 in FY 2011-12.

Types of Delinquency for Male and Female Youth

Youth in Florida, both males and females, are less violent and are committing less serious offenses than in the past.

• Between FY 2007-08 and FY 2011-12, the number of male youth charged with a felony offense declined by 34% from 28,475 to 18,730.
• Between FY 2007-08 and FY 2011-12, the number of male youth charged with a violent felony offense declined by 34% from 8,774 to 5,814.
• Between FY 2007-08 and FY 2011-12, the number of female youth charged with a felony offense declined by 40% from 6,653 to 4,005.
• Between FY 2007-08 and FY 2011-12, the number of female youth charged with a violent felony offense declined by 36% from 2,589 to 1,663.

Last Updated: 2/25/13