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Senate Bill 0334

Florida Senate - 1998 SB 334 By the Committee on Criminal Justice 307-414B-98 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to juvenile justice programs; 3 amending s. 985.401, F.S.; requiring the 4 Juvenile Justice Advisory Board to develop a 5 standard methodology for interpreting 6 outcome-evaluation reports; specifying 7 information to be included; requiring the board 8 to consult with other agencies, providers, and 9 interested parties; requiring the board and the 10 Department of Juvenile Justice to report to the 11 Legislature; amending s. 985.404, F.S.; 12 requiring the Department of Juvenile Justice 13 and other agencies to develop a 14 cost-effectiveness model for each commitment 15 program; requiring the department to rank 16 programs and report to the Legislature; 17 authorizing the department to terminate a 18 program that fails to achieve a minimum 19 threshold of effectiveness; requiring that the 20 cost-effectiveness model be consistent with 21 certain requirements for performance-based 22 budgeting; requiring the department to conduct 23 certain evaluations of commitment programs and 24 identify the factors that contribute to various 25 program ratings; providing appropriations; 26 providing an effective date. 27 28 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 29 30 Section 1. Subsection (4) of section 985.401, Florida 31 Statutes, is amended to read: 1 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida Senate - 1998 SB 334 307-414B-98 1 985.401 Juvenile Justice Advisory Board.-- 2 (4) The board shall: 3 (a) Review and recommend programmatic and fiscal 4 policies governing the operation of programs, services, and 5 facilities for which the Department of Juvenile Justice is 6 responsible. 7 (b) Monitor the development and implementation of 8 long-range juvenile justice policies, including prevention, 9 early intervention, diversion, adjudication, and commitment. 10 (c) Monitor all activities of the executive and 11 judicial branch and their effectiveness in implementing 12 policies pursuant to this chapter. 13 (d) Establish and operate a comprehensive system to 14 annually measure and report program outcome and effectiveness 15 for each program operated by the Department of Juvenile 16 Justice or operated by a provider under contract with the 17 department. 18 1. The board shall develop a standard methodology for 19 interpreting its outcome-evaluation report, using, where 20 appropriate, the performance-based program budgeting measures 21 approved by the Legislature. In addition, the methodology must 22 include: 23 a. Common terminology and operational definitions for 24 measuring the performance of program administration, program 25 outputs, and client outcomes. 26 b. Program-output indicators for each level of 27 programs within the juvenile justice continuum, and specific 28 program-output indicators for each program. 29 c. Definitions of satisfactory client outcomes, 30 including a method by which to establish client outcomes for 31 2 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida Senate - 1998 SB 334 307-414B-98 1 each program operated by the department or by a provider under 2 contract with the department. 3 d. Recommended minimum thresholds of satisfactory 4 performance for client outcomes and program outputs. 5 2.a. In developing the standard methodology, the board 6 shall consult with the department, the Office of Program 7 Policy Analysis and Program Accountability, the Division of 8 Economic and Demographic Research of the Joint Legislative 9 Management Committee, contract service providers, and other 10 interested parties. It is the intent of the Legislature that 11 this effort result in consensus recommendations, and, to the 12 greatest extent possible, integrate the goals and 13 legislatively approved measures of performance-based program 14 budgeting provided in chapter 94-249, Laws of Florida, the 15 quality assurance program provided in s. 985.412, and the 16 cost-effectiveness model provided in s. 985.404(11). 17 b. The board and the department shall submit a joint 18 report to the Legislature by December 1, 1998, which specifies 19 the methodology for interpreting outcome evaluations, 20 including common terminology and operational definitions, 21 program outputs, definitions of satisfactory client outcomes, 22 and outcome measures. The board shall review and revise the 23 methodology as necessary to ensure the validity of the 24 evaluation process. 25 3. The board shall use its evaluation research to make 26 advisory recommendations to the Legislature, the Governor, and 27 the department concerning the effectiveness and future funding 28 priorities of juvenile justice programs. 29 (e) Advise the President of the Senate, the Speaker of 30 the House of Representatives, the Governor, and the department 31 on matters relating to this chapter. 3 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida Senate - 1998 SB 334 307-414B-98 1 (f) Serve as a clearinghouse to provide information 2 and assistance to the district juvenile justice boards and 3 county juvenile justice councils. 4 (g) Hold public hearings and inform the public of 5 activities of the board and of the Department of Juvenile 6 Justice, as appropriate. 7 (h) Monitor the delivery and use of services, 8 programs, or facilities operated, funded, regulated, or 9 licensed by the Department of Juvenile Justice for juvenile 10 offenders or alleged juvenile offenders, and for prevention, 11 diversion, or early intervention of delinquency, and to 12 develop programs to educate the citizenry about such services, 13 programs, and facilities and about the need and procedure for 14 siting new facilities. 15 (i) Contract for consultants as necessary and 16 appropriate. The board may apply for and receive grants for 17 the purposes of conducting research and evaluation activities. 18 (j) Conduct such other activities as the board may 19 determine are necessary and appropriate to monitor the 20 effectiveness of the delivery of juvenile justice programs and 21 services under this chapter. 22 (k) The board shall submit an annual report to the 23 President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of 24 Representatives, the Governor, and the secretary of the 25 department not later than February 15 of each calendar year, 26 summarizing the activities and reports of the board for the 27 preceding year, and any recommendations of the board for the 28 following year. 29 Section 2. Subsection (11) of section 985.404, Florida 30 Statutes, is amended to read: 31 4 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida Senate - 1998 SB 334 307-414B-98 1 985.404 Administering the juvenile justice 2 continuum.-- 3 (11)(a) The Department of Juvenile Justice, in 4 consultation with the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, the 5 Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government 6 Accountability, the Economic and Demographic Research Division 7 of the Joint Legislative Management Committee, and contract 8 service providers, shall develop a cost-effectiveness 9 cost-benefit model and apply the model to each commitment 10 program. Program recommitment rates shall be a component of 11 the model. The cost-effectiveness cost-benefit model shall 12 compare program costs to client outcomes and program outputs 13 benefits. A report ranking commitment programs based on 14 cost-benefit shall be submitted to the appropriate substantive 15 and appropriations committees of each house of the 16 Legislature, no later than December 31 of each year. It is 17 the intent of the Legislature that continual development 18 efforts take place to improve the validity and reliability of 19 the cost-effectiveness cost-benefit model and to integrate the 20 standard methodology developed under s. 985.401(4)(d) for 21 interpreting program outcome evaluations. 22 (b) The department shall rank commitment programs 23 based on the cost-effectiveness model and shall submit a 24 report to the appropriate substantive and fiscal committees of 25 each house of the Legislature by December 31 of each year. 26 (c) Based on reports of the Juvenile Justice Advisory 27 Board on client outcomes and program outputs and on the 28 department's most recent cost-effectiveness rankings, the 29 department may terminate a program operated by the department 30 or a provider if the program has failed to achieve a minimum 31 threshold of program effectiveness. This paragraph does not 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida Senate - 1998 SB 334 307-414B-98 1 preclude the department from terminating a contract as 2 provided under s. 985.412 or as otherwise provided by law or 3 contract, and does not limit the department's authority to 4 enter into or terminate a contract. 5 (d) In collaboration with the Juvenile Justice 6 Advisory Board, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and 7 Program Accountability, the Division of Economic and 8 Demographic Research of the Joint Legislative Management 9 Committee, and contract service providers, the department 10 shall develop a work plan to refine the cost-effectiveness 11 model so that the model is consistent with the 12 performance-based program budgeting measures approved by the 13 Legislature to the extent the department deems appropriate. 14 (e) Contingent upon specific appropriation, the 15 department, in consultation with the Juvenile Justice Advisory 16 Board, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Program 17 Accountability, the Division of Economic and Demographic 18 Research of the Joint Legislative Management Committee, and 19 contract service providers, shall: 20 1. Construct a profile of each commitment program 21 which uses the results of the quality assurance report 22 required by s. 985.412, the outcome-evaluation report compiled 23 by the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board under s. 985.401, the 24 cost-effectiveness report required in this subsection, and 25 other reports available to the department. 26 2. Target, for a more comprehensive evaluation, any 27 commitment program that has achieved consistently high, low, 28 or disparate ratings in the reports required under 29 subparagraph 1. 30 3. Identify the essential factors that contribute to 31 the high, low, or disparate program ratings. 6 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida Senate - 1998 SB 334 307-414B-98 1 4. Use the results of these evaluations in developing 2 or refining juvenile justice programs or program models, 3 client outcomes and program outputs, provider contracts, 4 quality assurance standards, and the cost-effectiveness model. 5 Section 3. The sum of $100,000 is appropriated from 6 the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Juvenile Justice 7 for the purpose of funding a longitudinal study by 8 nondepartmental experts in the area of using economic models 9 to evaluate juvenile justice commitment programs. 10 Section 4. The sum of $355,128 is appropriated from 11 recurring funds in the General Revenue Fund to the Department 12 of Juvenile Justice for the purpose of funding the ongoing 13 evaluation program defined in section 985.404(11), Florida 14 Statutes. The Department of Juvenile Justice shall design and 15 implement a process-evaluation program for the purpose of 16 documenting the factors that contribute to high or low program 17 effectiveness and use the results of this process to implement 18 program improvements and terminate ineffective programs. 19 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 1998. 20 21 ***************************************** 22 SENATE SUMMARY 23 Revises the duties of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board to require that the board develop a methodology for 24 interpreting outcome-evaluation reports. Requires that the board report to the Legislature. Provides that the 25 board review and revise the methodology as necessary. Requires that the Department of Juvenile Justice develop 26 a cost-effectiveness model to compare program costs to client outcomes and program-performance indicators. 27 Requires that the department rank commitment programs based on the cost-effectiveness model. Provides that the 28 department terminate a program that fails to achieve minimum effectiveness. (See bill for details.) 29 30 31 7