Juvenile Justice
	Civil Citation Initiative of Brevard County

The foundation will work proactively to promote and provide better care for delinquent youth. With a combination of advocacy and traditional grantmaking, the foundation supports systemic change to ensure that youth are properly assessed and placed, receive effective treatments and are able to return to their communities to pursue meaningful educational and vocational opportunities. Public funds shall be redirected to support changes promoted by the foundation as the knowledge of effective system reform is disseminated. This will be achieved through relationships with local and national partners. Geographic priority areas will be scanned for opportunistic grantmaking that promote the foundation’s values and reform principles. Juvenile Justice Intervention and Treatment An opportunity to channel positively – through diversion, assessment and treatment – the life path of youth who are likely or have come into contact with the juvenile justice system.

Investment Activities:

• Amend zero-tolerance practices that send youth into the juvenile justice system for misbehavior.
• Promote policies recognizing that public safety is best served by effectively addressing the issues that led to criminal activity and by providing youth in trouble the right service at the right time.
• Expand community-based interventions and division services, including emphasis on civil citation option approach, 985.301, Florida Statutes.
• Provide evidence-based, gender-appropriate treatment, including mental health and substance abuse, for youth in juvenile justice programs.
• Ensure appropriate aftercare services to reduce recidivism and transition youth to education or job programs.
• Recognize that mental health and drug issues are most effectively addressed outside the juvenile justice system.
• Promote quality juvenile justice programs through incentives to use evidence-based interventions and stop funding programs which consistently fail to perform.
• Juvenile justice public policy should be clear that every possible community-based intervention must occur before a decision is made to place a child in the juvenile justice system. (addressing funding and processes)
• Alignment and integration of services must occur within juvenile justice and child welfare agencies serving at-risk children.