Download PowerPoint - Florida Mental Health Summit

Raising Your Advocacy IQ for Mental
Health and Juvenile Justice Reform
The Children’s Campaign
Statewide Juvenile Crime Poll
Services for children usually involve either punishment for teens
who break the law, treatment of children with problems or illnesses,
or prevention services to develop more healthy kids.
0%
20%
Punishment
80%
21%
Prevention
Florida
60%
13%
Treatment
Unsure
40%
63%
3%
100%
Police chiefs and sheriffs should focus as much attention
on crime prevention as crime fighting.
0%
20%
62%
Agree
10%
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Unsure
60%
26%
Strongly Agree
Florida
40%
1%
80%
100%
Providing programs to at-risk kids now will reduce juvenile
crime in the future.
0%
20%
Strongly
Agree
Florida
60%
80%
18%
74%
Agree
Disagree
40%
6%
Strongly
Disagree
1%
Unsure
2%
100%
Given the choice between paying lower state and local taxes and
more prevention and treatment programs for kids, which would
you choose?
0%
20%
More Kids
Programs
Florida
60%
80%
19%
Lower Taxes
Unsure
40%
77%
4%
100%
New Poll: Strong Majority of Floridians Agree
the Time for Criminal Justice Reform is Now
• New public opinion survey released by The James Madison Institute (JMI) and
the Charles Koch Institute.
• Highlights:
– 72 percent of Floridians agree or strongly agree that it is important to reform the
criminal justice system in Florida.
– 75 percent of Floridians agree or strongly agree that the prison population is costing our
country too much money.
– Almost two-thirds of Floridians believe there are too many nonviolent offenders in
prison.
– 70 percent believe juveniles should be held in a system separate from adult offenders.
– When asked who Floridians trust more to make decisions about whether to charge a
juvenile as an adult, those polled overwhelmingly choose judges over prosecutors by a
47-point margin.
7
The Landscape
• Decidedly Conservative Legislative and Executive
Branch
• Newfound Interest in Justice Issues
• Multiple Groups Bringing Forth Legislation in Civil
Citation, Juvenile Records, Children Tried as Adults
Positive Signs
• Options Known and Clearly Presented
• Both Legislative Chambers Have Moved Their Position
Significantly
• Governor’s Office To Date Not Leading but Not Blocking
Either
Stylistic Opportunities
• Continue Equality of Justice Conversation Armed with
Facts, Figures and Trend Data
• Add Values-Based Communications and Images to Engage
More Diverse Audiences
Reframing the Conversation
Example #1
Rigorous Polling Science
and One Image
Got It Started for Juvenile Justice
Citizen Opinion Research /
State Priorities
Crime Fighting Area
Citizen Opinion
FL. Priority
Recreation/Education Programs
Crisis Intervention Services
Support/Counseling Services
Reduce School Drop-outs
More Prevention Services
HIGH PRIORITY
HIGH PRIORITY
HIGH PRIORITY
HIGH PRIORITY
HIGH PRIORITY
LOW PRIORITY
LOW PRIORITY
LOW PRIORITY
LOW PRIORITY
LOW PRIORITY
Build Youth Prisons
Punish More Kids
LOW PRIORITY
LOW PRIORITY
HIGH PRIORITY
HIGH PRIORITY
Resulted in this Image
Reframing the Conversation
Example #2
Polling Science is Changing the Child Welfare
Conversation About the Treatment of Girls
Late Test:
Please agree or disagree with the following statement:
7./45. In principle, girls who might get into trouble have different needs from boys and
should have access to programs that are specifically designed for girls.
Driver Triples!
Copyright 2009-2013 Barcelo & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Resulted in This Image
16
2016 Legislative Session
Yields Positive Results
• Open Doors seeks to provide a framework and program designed to
assist victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking with “first
responders” and through the improved delivery and coordination of
services and development of a statewide network.
• The Children’s Campaign, Voices for Florida and its partners
successfully secured the initial GR appropriation.
• Direct service dollars are being sought from Federal, state, and local
sources.
17
2016 Legislative Session
Yields Positive Results
Led by the Children’s Campaign, with a coalition of supporters,
SB 386- (Expunction) was passed and was recently signed into law by
the Governor. This bill will expunge certain juvenile records at age 21
instead of age 24 so youthful mistakes do not destroy children’s
futures.
IMPACT:
In the past five years alone, there were more than 446,000 juvenile
arrests. For youth who stay out of trouble, this bill will help open
doors to jobs, further education, military service, and housing.
18
2016 Legislative Session
Yields Positive Results
Led by the Children’s Campaign, with a coalition of supporters,
HB 293- (Confidentiality of Juvenile Records) will close the loophole
that now allows juvenile misdemeanor records to be public. This bill
blocks those minor crimes from public view.
IMPACT:
It also gives law enforcement agencies the discretion not to post
arrest and booking photos online. In the past five years, 62% of
juvenile records have been publically available.
19
Scott D. McCoy
Senior Policy Counsel
Children at Risk
Children Tried As Adults
Florida Racial Arrest Breakdown
Age 10-17 Population 201314
Youth Arrested
Youth Tried as Adults
Other 1%
Other 3%
Hispanic 14%
Hispanic 15%
White 39%
Hispanic 29%
White 47%
Black 45%
Black 21%
Black 62%
White 24%
No Place for a Child
• Florida sends more children to adult court than any other state in the
country
• Most of the children tried as adults are charged with non-violent crimes.
• 98% of these children were transferred to adult court without the benefit of
a hearing before a judge
• Currently, Florida prosecutors have virtually unfettered discretion to decide
which children to try as adults
• Sole discretion results in wide disparities depending on where a child lives
• Children tried as adults are “branded for life.”
No Place For A Child
• Let a Judge Decide: Restore judicial waiver to allow a judge to
decide whether a particular child should be tried as an adult.
• Recognize Children are Different: Given the unique needs and
vulnerabilities of children, set a minimum age, ensure fair criteria
before a child can be tried as an adult and house children only in
juvenile facilities.
• Do What Works. Hold children accountable and protect public
safety by treating children in the juvenile justice system.
http://noplaceforachild.com/