Mar 08, 2013

Dear DJJ team members:

Welcome to my weekly letter. I am pleased to share the following news and announcements.

STATE OF THE STATE: “It’s working,”was Gov. Rick Scott’s message in his State of the State Address to the 2013 Legislature on the opening day of session, March 5. Florida’s economy has successfully rebounded after two years of hard work by legislators, and Florida is projected to have a budget surplus for the first time in six years. He credits our strong economy to tax cuts, elimination of unnecessary regulations on job creators, paying down state debt and investing in priorities, like education.

– Gov. Rick Scott, 2013 State of the State Address

Gov. Scott also expressed his commitment to ending human trafficking in Florida. The Governor’s Florida Families First budget invests $1.5 million to provide safe houses for victims of human trafficking to help them to rehabilitate their lives. Last month I was privileged to join Gov. Scott, former human trafficking victim Allison Good and other human trafficking stakeholders in Miami to announce this funding priority. DJJ will join with other state agencies to present Florida’s third human trafficking summit later this year. I will keep you posted as planning proceeds and more details are available. In Gov. Scott’s words, we at DJJ will continue to work to “raise awareness against this evil and stop this crime from claiming even one more victim.”

Through his Florida Families First Budget, Governor Scott’s clearly illustrated his commitment to ensuring Florida’s at-risk youth and their families have every opportunity to succeed. It invests $1.5 million to strengthen prevention services by expanding services to rural communities, chronically truant youth and for youth with multiple school disciplinary referrals; more than $618,000 to expand the PACE Center for Girls to Miami-Dade County, which will provide educational services designed with girls’ specific needs in mind; and more than $145,000 to improve the physical and mental health needs of youth, to include psychiatric consultation and contract clinical specialists.

Additionally, as part of the Florida Families First budget, Gov. Scott proposed rewarding hardworking state employees who are helping to keep our economy growing. Funding is planned for discretionary, variable compensation in the amount of $5,000 for employees receiving the highest level of employee evaluation, and $2,500 for employees receiving the second highest level of employee evaluation. This budget also proposes that all state employees with at least a “satisfactory” evaluation will receive an incentive of $1,200 for their efforts to reduce the state’s unemployment rate.

DELINQUENCY DECLINE CONTINUES:

I am thrilled to announce that the preliminary data results for fiscal year (FY) 2012-13, shown below, indicate that overall juvenile crime continues to decline.

Listed below are highlights from the current data. The changes highlighted below reflect the percentage change between July and February of FY 2011-12 and FY 2012-13.

• Overall delinquency declined in 45 of 67 counties.
• Narcotics possession and distribution continued to substantially decline.
• Almost half (46%) of the delinquency offenses received by DJJ during FY 2012-13 have been for misdemeanor offenses.

To view the entire report, please click here.

The continuing declines show that DJJ is on the right track. We will continue to work with communities and stakeholders in building the Roadmap to System Excellence to drive further decreases in juvenile delinquency. To echo Gov. Scott: “It’s working.”

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: This week, I presented to the Senate Criminal/Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee on the Roadmap, which is fully supported by the Governor’s Florida Families First budget recommendations. DJJ legislation related to juvenile justice circuit boards and county councils, SB 676, passed its first committee, the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. It is now on the agenda for the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 12. On March 11, the two other DJJ legislative priorities -- SB 672-Youth Custody Officers and Jail Tours, and SB 678-Grand Jury Recommendation – will be heard in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. Thanks to Sen. Greg Evers for all his hard work in sponsoring these important pieces of legislation. On March 13, Fred Schuknecht , director of Administration, will give a presentation to the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee on DJJ’s targeted budget reductions required by Schedule VIIIB.

YOUTH SUCCESS DAY: DJJ will again this year partner with Children’s Week in celebrating Children’s Day/Juvenile Justice-Youth Success Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 9. Children’s Week is an opportunity to highlight services available to children and youth, and bring awareness to issues affecting them. Juvenile Justice-Youth Success Day focuses on the success of the juvenile justice system in helping youth to turn their lives around, and will highlight programs from around the state that are working to reduce juvenile crime. I encourage staff and providers to host local Youth Success Day activities, and if you submit a short description to News@djj.state.fl.us , it may be included in my weekly letter on April 12. Please remember, no identifiable photographs or names of youth should be submitted. Thanks to Heather DiGiacomo , director of the Florida Juvenile Justice Foundation, for coordinating the DJJ Youth Success Day booth and activities at the Capitol.

ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING UPDATE: DJJ Human Trafficking Director Tyson Elliott, has had a busy week helping communities to gain insight on human trafficking and providing training to combat it. This week, he and others with first-hand experience of the challenges faced by government officials, law enforcement agencies, and practitioners working on behalf of human trafficking victims, served as panelists in a discussion hosted by the Jacksonville Bar Association. Approximately 200 people attended the event, which focused on prevention, protection, and prosecution.

Next week, Tyson will attend local human trafficking task force meetings in Lake, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. These meetings assist local law enforcement and establish relationships with human trafficking service providers as they explore community solutions to identify and help victims. It is important for DJJ to assist communities as they seek guidance to eliminate the scourge of human trafficking, and I am pleased that Tyson is able to share his expertise.

DETENTION KUDOS: Please join me in congratulating Christi Stua on her appointment today as superintendent of Marion Regional Juvenile Detention Center, where she has served as assistant superintendent since 2001. Christi started at the facility as a mental health professional in 1997. She has a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida and a master's degree in Counseling from Webster University. Christi has been instrumental to the success of the Trauma-Informed Care Initiative at Marion RJDC and she is important to the adoption of trauma-informed care best practices in detention centers statewide, as she assists other facilities with implementation.

PROBATION KUDOS: Please join me in congratulating DJJ Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Coordinator Geeta Loach-Jacobson , who was honored by Evidence Based Associates (EBA) with the Lee Ann Thomas Innovative Champion Award during the Redirection Awards Luncheon, held in Palm Beach County on March 1. The award recognized Geeta for her support of the Redirection project as a family-focused and community-based treatment, her advocacy for evidence based thinking and data driven decision making, and for promoting accountability at every level of care.

Lee Ann Thomas Innovative Champion Award, left to right: Nicole Janer of EBA; Aimee Wolk of Camelot Community Care, award recipient Geeta Loach-Jacobson, Feirmon Johnson, and Barbara Byrnes of EBA

SAFETY UPDATE: Good news! Senior safety specialist Tommy Blankenship reports that DJJ has experienced 75 fewer reports of new injury/illness through for the first seven months of fiscal year (FY) 2012 – 2013. This is 24 percent less compared to the same period last year. Four of DJJ’s five state-run residential programs have reported two or fewer new injury/illness reports through January: Les Peters - 0, Charles Britt - 1, Pensacola Boys Base - 1, and Duval - 2. Seven of the 21 state-run regional juvenile detention centers (RJDC) reported four or fewer through January: Monroe RJDC - 0, Bay RJDC - 1, St. Lucie RJDC - 1, Collier RJDC - 2, Volusia RJDC - 3, Hillsborough-West RJDC - 3, and Brevard RJDC - 4. Congratulations to the staff in these facilities. Please note there was a slight increase in the number of back injuries. Remember to lift with your legs -- not your back -- and get help when lifting bulky or heavy objects. To all staff, thanks for making safety in the workplace a priority each day.

Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 10, 2013. Please remember to adjust your clocks forward an hour on Saturday night before going to sleep, so you can be in sync as time “springs forward” at 2 a.m. To all employees, have a safe and restful weekend.

Sincerely,

Wansley Walters

Secretary

PS: Please send any noteworthy or newsworthy items for consideration in my weekly letter to the Communications Office at News@djj.state.fl.us or call 850.921.5900. Submissions are considered on a space-available basis and may be edited for clarity and length. Thank you for your cooperation.