The Juvenile Justice System

Delinquent Youth

Students who are involved in the Juvenile Delinquency

System under the supervision of the Court and the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and/or the Juvenile Services Department (JSD).

Dependent Youth

Students who are a part of the Child Welfare System and are under the Supervision of the Court and the

Department of Children and Families.

Court-Involved Youth

Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida

10 Divisions

5 – Dependency Judges 4 – Delinquency Judges 2 – General Magistrates

Work with our highest “at-risk” student population

The Juvenile Justice System

o The Department of Children and Families (DCF)

o The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)

o The Juvenile Services Department (JSD)

o The 11th Judicial Circuit Court – Juvenile Division

o Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe (lead child welfare agency)

o Our Kids Providers (Full Case Management Agencies, e.g. CHARLEE)

o Guardian Ad-Litem

o The Public Defenders Office (PDO)

o The State Attorneys Office (SAO)

o The Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC)

o Sub-contracted Therapists

o Foster Care Review Panels

Agencies Working with Court-Involved Youth

The Goal of Juvenile Delinquency System is

Not Punitive it is to Rehabilitate

The goal for juvenile (minor) offenders is to eventually transition back to a regular school setting.

Juvenile offenders convicted of serious crimes may be placed in residential programs, also known as “commitment”.

Committed youth are expected to transition back to regular school once the rehabilitation program is successfully completed, unless they have obtained high school completion in the commitment program.

Delinquency: What You Need To Know

What Happens When A Youth Is Arrested?

Juvenile Assessment Center

(JAC)

Released

to Parents

Home Detention

Secure Detention

Diversionary Program

Detention Hearing

Adjudicatory Hearing (Trial)

Disposition (Sentencing)

Probation or Commitment

Sounding (Arraignment)

GPS Monitor

Minors who are arrested are processed at the Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC). The minor is assessed and a determination is made whether he/she is:

A. Placed in a diversionary program, bypassing

judicial intervention, or

B. Placed in secure detention, or

C. Placed on a GPS monitoring device, or

D. Placed on home detention, or

E. Released to the custody of his or her parents.

• All students with open delinquency cases who have been released from detention or who have been withdrawn from a K-12 setting and are inactive will be court-ordered to attend school.

• JJSO District Court Liaisons conduct educational reviews for these students and contact the home school to facilitate school re-entry.

• Staff at the home school determine appropriate educational placement.

District/School Operations

School Re-entry Letter

Provides feedback to the

court and is part of the court record

Documents student compliance

Ensures follow-up communication from the

school-site

Who Are Our Dependent Students?

Dependent Youth are…

Under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Dependency Division of the Circuit Court.

Supervised by the Florida Department of Children & Families (DCF).

Receive full case management services from one of several agencies that fall under Miami-Dade County’s lead child welfare agency, Our Kids, Inc.

Under the Supervision of the Circuit Court and DCF, and who reside in one of the following:

Licensed Foster Care Home

Licensed Group Home

Relative Care

Temporary Shelter awaiting one of the above

In-Home court and DCF supervised living with biological parent

Independent Living Program

Who Are Our Dependent Students? (Continued)

Department Of Children & Families

Center

For

Child

And

Family

Enrichment

CHARLEE

Children’s

Home

Society

Family

Resource

Center

His

House

Our Kids, Inc.

• Judge & General Magistrate (GM)

• DCF Child Protective Investigator (CPI)

• Child Welfare Attorneys

• Full Case Manager (FCM) and/or IL Coordinator

• Caregiver

• Guardian Ad-Litem (GAL)

• Level of Care (LOC) Assessor

• Therapist

• Biological Parent

Who May Be Involved In A Dependent Youth’s Case?

CHARLEE

DCF FLAGS IN THE M-DCPS

INTEGRATED STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (ISIS)

A CHARLEE

D Center for Family and Child Enrichment

E Children’s Home Society

F Family Resource Center

G His House

Y Our Kids (temporary code)

N No longer under supervision

S/T/O Aged Out in the Independent Living

Road to Independence (RTI) Program

DCF FLAGS IN THE M-DCPS

INTEGRATED STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (ISIS)

• Assists school staff in identifying the full case management agency working with the child

• Provides access to student records

• Helps schools target students needing support services

• Identifies students who have been recently placed under DCF supervision

• Identifies students who are no longer under DCF supervision

Flagged Student Records:

Student records are flagged by District/School Operations to provide the full case manager immediate access to school records and to discuss student progress.

Student Records NOT flagged:

A completed and signed copy of the MDCPS Consent for Release of Information/Records must be signed by the foster parent/guardian/relative se manager must provide a copy of the court order.

Access And Consent To Obtain And Discuss

Student Educational Records

Dependent Student

Educational Stability

ALL dependent students must remain at their current school and are granted an Out-of-Area Transfer by District/School Operations.

Transfers are only approved when the transfer is in the best educational interest of the student, and MUST be authorized by the JJSO.

Regional Center and school-site staff are NOT authorized to withdraw or transfer a dependent student.

Educational Stability (continued)

• Out-of-Area Transfer requests are authorized and completed at the Juvenile Justice Support Office (JJSO), this ensures that the student is not withdrawn nor transferred from his/her current school.

• JJSO enters transfer code “J” in ISIS.

• The Principal is notified of the approved Out of Area Transfer via email from: juvenilejusticesupport@dadeschools.net.

• District/School Operations expedites requests for transportation for all dependent students who move outside their current school boundary.

Foster Care Out-of-Area Transfer Form

This form can only be obtained and completed at

the JJSO by a full case

manager

Foster Care Out Of Area

Transfer Code “J”

A Dependent Student May Transfer Only If…

An educational review has been conducted by a JJSO

district court liaison and it has been determined that a

transfer is in the best educational interest of the child.

A JJSO district court liaison has consulted with school

staff.

The school receives authorization from the JJSO district

court liaison to facilitate a transfer.

Educational Stability (continued)

Once the transfer is approved, the case manager and/or foster parent is directed to the receiving school.

The case manager and/or foster parent are not required to withdraw student from sending school.

The receiving school’s registrar should provide a Dependent Student Address Verification Form (FM-6536) and assist the case manager or foster parent, in completing the form as part of the registration process.

A student’s enrollment cannot be denied because of textbooks or materials.

Educational Stability (continued)

Provided by the

Receiving

School at the

time of

enrollment

FM-6536

DCF Child Protective Investigators (CPI) and law enforcement officers conduct investigations based on suspected cases of child abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment.

Properly identified DCF CPI’s and law enforcement officers may remove a student from school in the course of an investigation, but cannot withdraw a student from his/her current school. This may only be approved by District/School Operations.

ALL requests for dependent student transfers or withdrawals must be referred to the District/School Operations for approval.

Role of the School System in Working with

Court-Involved Students

• Understanding and complying with operational procedures related to delinquent and dependent students.

• Implementing processes to ensure that all court-involved students receive academic and emotional support.

Role of the School System in Working with

Court-Involved Students

• Ensuring that all the appropriate individuals are involved in the educational decision-making process for every dependent and delinquent student.

• Providing school-site contact persons for issues related to dependent and delinquent students.

(Juvenile Court Contact Persons)

The Juvenile Justice Support Office (JJSO) is housed at the Juvenile Justice Center and is the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) liaison to the Juvenile Court and the Delinquency and Child Welfare systems.

JJSO staff are M-DCPS District Court Liaisons under District/School Operations who are working directly with the Court, agency personnel, and students and their families.

JJSO staff provide educational expertise to the Court and related agencies, and student advocacy and advisement.

Provide feedback and educational recommendations to

school-site staff related to students’ court involvement.

Facilitate interpretation of and provide assistance to schools

and regional center staff related to ALL court orders.

District/School Operations

Juvenile Justice Support Office (JJSO)

JJSO staff are trained and are “expert” in issues related to students involved in the

juvenile justice system. This includes students who are under the supervision of:

o The Department of Children and Families (DCF)

o The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)

o The Juvenile Services Department (JSD)

o The 11th Judicial Circuit Court – Juvenile & Family Divisions

Additional Agencies JJSO Consults and Collaborates With:

o Miami-Dade state Attorney's Office

o The Office of the Public Defender

o Miami-Dade Juvenile Services Department

District/School Operations

Juvenile Justice Support Office (JJSO)

• Court Orders for Psycho-educational Evaluations

• Custody Orders

• Domestic Violence Injunctions

• No-Contact Orders

• Stay Away Orders

• Level of Care Assessments or Comprehensive Behavioral Assessments

• Orders for Educational Surrogates

• Access to Student Records

• Call the JJSO for Immediate Assistance at 305-633-4950

District/School Operations Mark E. Zaher, Director 305-995-2710 Juvenile Justice Support Office 305-633-4950 juvenilejusticesupportoffice@dadeschools.net Sylvia Godoy, District Department Chairperson District Court Liaisons Doree Benson David Ferrer Donzaleigh McKinney Veronica Wade Community Liaison Specialist Wesley Clark