Dear editor,
Did you know the population of youths confined in pre-trial secure detention has steadily grown over the past decade, despite a decline in juvenile offending?
Did you know pre-trial incarceration significantly increases the odds that teen offenders will be found delinquent and committed to corrections facilities, which could seriously damage their prospects for future success?
Did you know many of these detained teens pose little or no threat to public safety?
And did you know that alternatives to incarceration are available to effectively — and safely — reduce pre-trial detention, encourage reform and reduce recidivism?
You can check out these facts by googling the Center for Children’s Law and Policy or the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, or you could hear all about the programs available in Okaloosa County directly from the local officials responsible for administering juvenile and youthful offender diversion programs in our community.
The League of Women Voters of Okaloosa County invites you to our panel discussion on Juvenile Diversion Programs. It is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 14 at Woodlawn Baptist Church, 824 N. Ferdon Blvd, Crestview.
Panelists include Dan Bear, Department of Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Probation Office; Jessica Milstid, Lutheran Services Florida, responsible for Teen Court and Children/Families in Need of Services programs; and Carita Smith, lead recruiter for Guardian ad Litem (which represents abused, neglected or abandoned children through the criminal justice system).
Information on the Civil Citation program will also be available.
Please join us to learn about these important programs, and how you can help troubled kids turn their lives around!
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Learn more about Okaloosa's juvenile diversion programs