Florida Department Of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)

Marathon, FL  33050
(305) 289-3726
FAX:  (305) 289-3732

Upper Keys
81990 P/S Highway, Suite 102
Islamorada, FL 33036
(305) 664-0662
FAX:  (305) 664-0715

The Department of Juvenile Justice is comprised of 4 main branches of services to youth and families:

Prevention Services:  Delinquency prevention programs, such as after-school programs, tutoring programs, mentoring programs, life skills programs, restorative justice programs (NABS) and teen courts are designed to prevent youth who participate in them from entering or becoming more deeply involved in the juvenile justice system. Whether participants have prior offenses or not, it is expected that delinquency prevention programs will effectively decrease the influence of risk factors and increase the positive self esteem of the youth they serve.

1. Probation and Community Intervention:  Youth who have been arrested for violating the law are referred to the Department of Juvenile Justice.  In some cases,"Probation" is a supervision program created by law, which is ordered by the court in cases involving a youth who has been found guilty of having committed a delinquent act. Probation is a legal status in which the freedom of the youth is limited and the youth’s activities are restricted in lieu of commitment to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.  When a youth is placed on probation, he or she must   complete court-ordered sanctions and services. In addition to the general conditions of probation, the youth will need to comply with all special conditions deemed appropriate by the court and with mandatory sanctions that relate to the offense. For example, the youth may be ordered to work community service hours and/or may be ordered to pay money to the victim, if the victim was harmed or suffered losses as a result of the crime. The youth may also be ordered to submit to an evaluation and/or attend counseling, or if the offense warrants, submit a biological specimen for DNA testing.  As a special condition of probation the youth may be ordered to abide by a curfew and/or to attend a probation day treatment program. Day treatment programs provide additional monitoring of juveniles and typically offer an alternative educational setting. They also provide additional services, such as anger management classes, social skills building and substance abuse education.
2. Detention Services:  The Department operates 26 juvenile detention centers in 25 counties with a total of 2,057 beds. The detention centers provide custody, supervision, education and mental health/substance abuse services to juveniles statewide. Juvenile Detention Officers receive specialized training and certification.   Juvenile detention in Florida is a short-term temporary program. Juvenile offenders who require long-term sanctions and rehabilitation are placed into non-residential or residential treatment programs. Within 24 hours after admission to the detention center, the youth will appear in court and have a detention hearing before a judge authorizing the youth’s detention status. If the judge continues the youth’s detention status, his/her length of stay may extend up to 21 days or more.
3. Residential Services:  Depending on a youth’s risk to public safety, the judge may commit the youth to a minimum-risk, low-risk, moderate-risk, high-risk or maximum-risk restrictiveness level. Programs and services at the minimum-risk level are non-residential, meaning that the youth lives at home and receives services in the community. Programs at the low-risk, moderate-risk, high-risk or maximum-risk level are residential, meaning that the youth resides at the program 24 hours per day, seven days per week, until they complete the program and are released.  A child who goes to a moderate-risk residential program is considered more of a public safety risk than a child who goes to a low-risk program, but less of a public safety risk than a child who goes to a high-risk or maximum-risk program. Therefore, the higher the risk level of a program, the more security and supervision is necessary to ensure protection of the public. The Department determines which residential program within the court-ordered risk level would best protect the public and offer services to meet the youth’s needs. Regardless of the risk level of a residential program, each child is involved in individualized treatment services. These services target the child’s risk factors and needs so it’s less likely that the child will re-offend when released from the program.

The mission of the Department of Juvenile Justice is to increase public safety by reducing juvenile delinquency through effective prevention, intervention, and treatment services that strengthen families and turn around the lives of troubled youth.