• Prevention Services provides voluntary delinquent prevention programs by contracting with and offering grants to service providers. The programs are designed to help high-risk youth avoid committing crimes.
• Detention provides supervision for youth who are held pursuant to a court order, or have been arrested for a violation of the law, and less restrictive interim placement alternatives prior to adjudication and disposition are not appropriate.
• Probation and Community Intervention supervises youth who are participating in sanctions and services while they remain in their communities.
• Residential Services supervises youth who have been adjudicated by the court and sent to state residential commitment programs.

• Prevention Services served a total of 25,826 youth through state and federally funded prevention programs in Fiscal Year 2020-21.
• Detention served 8,420 youth under secure detention, 4,294 youth without electronic monitoring, and 2,809 youth with electronic monitoring in Fiscal Year 2020-21.
• Probation and Community Intervention served more than 29,000 youth in Fiscal Year 2020-21.
• Residential Services served 2,481 youth through commitment programs in Fiscal Year 2020-21.
  

• Bureau of Finance and Accounting manages the financial information of the department. The bureau is made up of four units which are Accounts Payable, Contracts and Grants, Cost of Care Recovery, and Reconciliation and Reporting.
• Central Communications Center (CCC) receives incident reports from each respective area (Prevention Services, Detention, Probation and Community Intervention, or Residential Services) that involve the delivery of services, safety, or security at a DJJ facility or program. Citizens can also report incidents to the center. Examples of reportable incidents include program disruption, escapes or absconds, and medical incidents.
• Office of Inspector General conducts independent administrative investigations of program incidents involving staff or juvenile offenders; these include incidents that are reported to the CCC. The Inspector General's Office also conducts investigations into fraud and abuse within the agency and pre-employment background screening to ensure that staff members working with juveniles do not have a disqualifying criminal background. The office includes the Background Screening Unit, the Central Communications Center, the Bureau of Internal Audit, and the Bureau of Investigations.
• Office of Program Accountability monitors programs operated and contracted by the department to ensure that the programs effectively provide youth with safety, well-being, and treatment. This office includes the Bureau of Monitoring and Quality Improvement, the Bureau of Contract Management, the Policy Development Unit, the Risk Management Unit, the Bureau of Procurement and Contract Administration, and the Programming and Technical Assistance Unit.

Juvenile Justice Changes. The 2021 Legislature passed Chapter 2021-219, Laws of Florida, which made several changes at the state level. This law permanently created the Accountability and Program Support Program within the Department of Juvenile Justice and changed the name of a unit from Prevention and Victim Services to Prevention Services. Additionally, the law authorized the Department of Juvenile Justice to work with the Department of Education to review alternative models for education services in detention and residential facilities.

The law also made changes at the local level. The law amended the detention cost-sharing plan to ensure that a non-fiscally constrained county providing its own juvenile detention care is not required to participate in detention cost sharing. Additionally, in order to take a child into custody for failing to appear, a court must consider five specified criteria before issuing the order. For example, the court must consider if any person provided the notice to the child. Finally, several entities, including judges, state attorneys, and public defenders, must collaborate and create a plan for appropriate alternative incentives and consequences pertaining to technical probation violations. The incentives or consequences must be included in the child’s disposition order.  

Juvenile Justice Education Programs. The 2021 Legislature enacted Chapter 2021-70, Laws of Florida, which made changes to juvenile justice education programs. While the Florida Department of Education is the lead agency for juvenile justice education programs, the Department of Juvenile Justice is involved in many activities including collaborating with education entities, collecting and reporting results of academic performance of youth, and developing academic and career protocols. The law made contract related changes that require contracts between district school boards and juvenile justice education programs be in writing and specified how money can be spent.

Other Reports
The Auditor General reports on department operations are available on its website.
The Florida Department of Financial Services reports on agency contract management reviews are available on its website.
Monthly Accountability Scorecard, Department of Juvenile Justice.
Quality Improvement Program Reports, Department of Juvenile Justice.
Comprehensive Accountability Reports, Department of Juvenile Justice.
Service Continuum Analysis Report, Department of Juvenile Justice, 2022.

Websites of Interest
National Center for Juvenile Justice
Evident Change
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics
U.S. Department of Justice, National Criminal Justice Reference Service
U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Performance Measures

Performance Information

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