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Civil Citation Program Offers Alternative To Arrest For Escambia Youth
April 23, 2013
Florida’s juvenile civil citation process has been launched across Escambia County, allowing law enforcement officers to issue a civil citation to juveniles who commit first-time, non-violent offenders rather than making an arrest.
“Youth who break the law absolutely must be held accountable for their actions; civil citation is a great way to do that without establishing an arrest record, which can ruin their chances of a successful future. Additionally, it gives us the opportunity to get to the root of what is causing the youth’s behavior and address those underlying issues, decreasing the likelihood they will re-offend while also saving taxpayer dollars,” said Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Wansley Walters.
Youth issued the civil citations must complete required sanctions to leave the program without an arrest record. If the child fails to complete the civil citation requirements, the arrest proceeds.
“We are enthusiastic about the possibilities of this multifaceted approach to diverting young people from a life of criminal activity as well as affording them a chance to not be labeled for life with a criminal record,” said Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan.
During fiscal year 2011-2012, there were 2,242 youth arrests in Escambia County. Of those, 562 were first-time misdemeanors that would have saved about $2.6 million if civil citations had been issued, officials said.
Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas has been a strong supporter of the county-wide expansion. Juvenile civil citations have been available to youths committing first-time misdemeanors in Escambia County’s schools since September 2012.
“Civil citations offer first time offending youth an opportunity to learn from their mistake and avoid the lifetime stigma that an arrest will create. I applaud all of the agencies involved for their leadership in providing civil citations county-wide,” Thomas said.
State Attorney Bill Eddins, Public Defender Bruce Miller, Pensacola Police Chief Chip Simmons and Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May also participated in a Monday press conference to announce the program.
Pictured top inset: Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Wansley Walters speaks during a Monday afternoon press conference as Sheriff David Morgan looks on. Pictured bottom inset: Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas expresses his support for the new county-wide civil citation process. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
3 Responses to “Civil Citation Program Offers Alternative To Arrest For Escambia Youth”
…i.e. a “free pass” that is what i interpret this as…equality for all, do the crime do the time! and restitution to the victim(s)…they deserve the consequences to their actions…tsk, makes sense to me why there are so many irresponsible young people now…
Not keeping a record of criminal acts of juveniles is a way of lying to the public.
It is weii intended, but is still lying.
Some would even wipe the records of adult criminals becauseit’s hard for sexual predatorsto get jobs in child care and for drug users to get jobs handling pharmaceuticals.
They don’t think other adults can or should be allowed to judge for themselves regarding such matters, even if the lives of others may be affected.
David for pity on the innocent
This is a great program; however, it is not a new concept. Civil citations were used back in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and there were many positive results seen in children who were given this option opposed to arrest. But the program went by the wayside due to political posturing over money – canceled due lack of funding. So if this “new” program is going to save millions of dollars, why weren’t civil citations employed sooner? Not wanting to paint a negative picture, but this will probably be another flash in the pan program that will last only a short while because of shortsightedness in some county commissioners and their bean counters.