House Bill 9341

    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HR 9341

        By Representatives Bainter, Betancourt, Putnam, D.
    Prewitt, Stafford, Murman, Melvin and Sublette





  1                         House Resolution

  2         A resolution designating the week of March

  3         15-21, 1998, as Juvenile Justice Week.

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  5         WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature has authorized a

  6  juvenile justice continuum of care which creates a balanced

  7  approach between prevention and commitment services through a

  8  dedicated partnership including the Department of Juvenile

  9  Justice, juvenile justice district boards and county councils,

10  sheriffs, police chiefs, public defenders, juvenile judges,

11  school districts, not-for-profit organizations, and private

12  providers of services, and

13         WHEREAS, the State of Florida is becoming recognized as

14  a bellwether for its reforms and progress through the delivery

15  of juvenile justice services and programs, which do more than

16  simply provide shelter and control youths' behavior, but help

17  delinquents make a successful transition back into their

18  communities, and

19         WHEREAS, within the 10-year time period between 1987

20  and 1997, Florida's 10-year-old to 17-year-old age group

21  increased 19 percent while the volume of cases entering the

22  juvenile justice system increased by 76 percent, and

23         WHEREAS, there are fewer serious felonies being

24  committed by juveniles than prior to the adoption of the

25  Juvenile Justice Act of 1994, despite a growth in the teenage

26  population, and

27         WHEREAS, stopping juveniles from entering or

28  progressing any further into the juvenile justice system will

29  require special emphasis in the areas of prevention and

30  intervention and the support of the Legislature, law

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HR 9341

    143-235-98






  1  enforcement, other state agencies, businesses, and local

  2  communities and organizations, and

  3         WHEREAS, the Department of Juvenile Justice has made

  4  great strides in promoting community and local government

  5  involvement by creating partnerships to meet local needs as

  6  identified by thousands of local leaders and citizens who

  7  contributed 30,000 volunteer hours in the last year, and

  8         WHEREAS, the juvenile justice system, including the

  9  Department of Juvenile Justice and its partners, is committed

10  to further reducing the overall juvenile crime rate, NOW,

11  THEREFORE,

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13  Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of

14  Florida:

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16         That the House of Representatives hereby designates the

17  week of March 15-21, 1998, as Juvenile Justice Week and urges

18  the support and participation of all citizens in making a

19  conscious effort to prevent juvenile crime.

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