The Florida Senate

985.3045  Prevention service program; monitoring; report; 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)  No later than January 31, 2001, the prevention service program shall submit a report to the Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the Senate concerning the implementation of a statewide multiagency plan to coordinate the efforts of 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. The report shall include a proposal for a statewide coordinated multiagency juvenile delinquency prevention policy. In preparing the report, the department shall coordinate with and receive input from each state agency or entity that receives or uses state appropriations to fund programs, grants, appropriations, or activities that are designed to prevent juvenile crime, delinquency, gang membership, status offense, or that are designed to prevent a child from becoming a "child in need of services," as defined in chapter 984. The report shall identify whether legislation will be needed to effect a statewide plan to coordinate the efforts of 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. The report shall consider the potential impact of requiring such state-funded efforts to target at least one of the following strategies designed to prevent youth from entering or reentering the juvenile justice system and track the associated outcome data:

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

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

(c)  Encouraging youth to avoid the use of violence; outcome data to reveal the number of youth who are arrested for crimes involving violence while participating in the program.

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

The department is encouraged to identify additional strategies which may be relevant to preventing youth from becoming children in need of services and to preventing juvenile crime, delinquency, gang membership and status offense behaviors. The report shall consider the feasibility of developing uniform performance measures and methodology for collecting such outcome data to be utilized by 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. The prevention service program is encouraged to identify other issues that may be of critical importance to preventing a child from becoming a child in need of services, as defined in chapter 984, or to preventing juvenile crime, delinquency, gang membership, or status offense behaviors.

(3)  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 strategies specified in paragraphs (2)(a)-(d).

(b)  The department shall develop an outcome measure for each program strategy specified in paragraphs (2)(a)-(d) 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.