The Florida Senate

985.605  Prevention service program; monitoring; uniform performance measures.--

(1)  The department's prevention service program shall monitor all state-funded programs, grants, appropriations, or activities that are designed to prevent juvenile crime, delinquency, gang membership, or status offense behaviors and all state-funded programs, grants, appropriations, or activities that are designed to prevent a child from becoming a "child in need of services," as defined in chapter 984, in order to inform the Governor and the Legislature concerning efforts designed to further the policy of the state concerning juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, consistent with ss. 984.02 and 985.02

(2)  The department shall expend funds related to the prevention of juvenile delinquency in a manner consistent with the policies expressed in ss. 984.02 and 985.02 The department shall expend said funds in a manner that maximizes public accountability and ensures the documentation of outcomes.

(a)  All entities that receive or use state moneys to fund juvenile delinquency prevention services through contracts or grants with the department shall design the programs providing such services to further one or more of the following strategies:

1.  Encouraging youth to attend school, which may include special assistance and tutoring to address deficiencies in academic performance and collecting outcome data to reveal the number of days youth attended school while participating in the program.

2.  Engaging youth in productive and wholesome activities during nonschool hours that build positive character, instill positive values, or enhance educational experiences and collecting outcome data to reveal the number of youths who are arrested during nonschool hours while participating in the program.

3.  Encouraging youth to avoid the use of violence and collecting outcome data to reveal the number of youths who are arrested for crimes involving violence while participating in the program.

4.  Assisting youth to acquire skills needed to find meaningful employment, which may include assistance in finding a suitable employer for the youth and collecting outcome data to reveal the number of youths who obtain and maintain employment for at least 180 days.

(b)  The department shall develop an outcome measure for each program strategy specified in paragraph (a) that logically relates to the risk factor addressed by the strategy.

(c)  All entities that receive or use state moneys to fund the juvenile delinquency prevention services through contracts or grants with the department shall, as a condition of receipt of state funds, provide the department with personal demographic information concerning all participants in the service sufficient to allow the department to verify criminal or delinquent history information, school attendance or academic information, employment information, or other requested performance information.

History.--s. 33, ch. 2000-135; s. 2, ch. 2004-333; s. 76, ch. 2006-120.

Note.--Former s. 985.3045.