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Today, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) released a report that examines the importance of prosecution of serious juvenile offenses in Florida. When juvenile cases are not fully processed through the court system it can result in a lack of accountability and hinder access to effective services that can address a youth’s specific needs.
The report analyzed referrals, which are similar to an arrest in the adult criminal justice system, that included at least one felony, violent felony, or firearm felony to determine whether all charges on the referral were non-filed, meaning no charge was formally filed or nolle prosequi, meaning after the filing, the State Attorney’s Office decided to no longer pursue the case. If all charges associated with a referral are dropped, then the youth is not held accountable for their actions.
The analysis conducted by DJJ covers the period between November 1, 2021, and October 31, 2022, to ensure adequate time for the majority of cases to complete court processing. The results show the following:
- The circuits with the smallest percentage of felony referrals resulting in non-file and nolle prosequi outcomes were Circuit 1 and 10, each at 6%.
- The circuit with the highest percentage of felony referrals resulting in non-file and nolle prosequi outcomes was Circuit 9 at 42%.
- The circuit with the lowest percentage of firearm-related referrals resulting in non-file and nolle prosequi outcomes was Circuit 1 at 2%.
- The circuit with the highest percentage of firearm-related referrals that resulted in non-file or nolle prosequi outcomes was Circuit 9 at 29%.
- The circuit with the lowest percentage of violent felony referrals resulting in non-file and nolle prosequi outcomes was Circuit 2 at 2%.
- The circuit with the highest rates of violent felony referrals resulting in non-files and nolle prosequi outcomes was Circuit 9 at 41%.
“When serious juvenile offenses are not prosecuted, youth are not held accountable for their actions nor are they receiving effective services that will keep them from reoffending,” said DJJ Secretary Eric Hall. “This report highlights the importance of using data to drive our decision-making so that we can better serve our communities and ensure we are always keeping public safety at the forefront.”
A copy of the full report can be found here.
