FL H0997

Department of Juvenile Justice shall encourage and assist in implementation and improvement of civil citation and similar diversion programs statewide.

Civil citation or similar diversion programs shall be established at the local level with concurrence of the chief judge, state attorney, public defender, and heads of local law enforcement agencies; programs may be operated by law enforcement agencies, the department, juvenile assessment centers, counties, municipalities, or other selected entities in consultation with the state attorney and local law enforcement.

Law enforcement officers may issue civil citations to juveniles who admit to committing a misdemeanor, requiring up to 50 community service hours and participation in intervention services based on assessment of the juvenile's needs; eligibility limited to first-time misdemeanor offenders unless approved by the state attorney.

Operating agencies shall report program outcomes to the Department of Juvenile Justice upon a juvenile's completion; issuance of a civil citation is not considered a referral to the department.

If a juvenile fails to comply with the civil citation requirements or commits a subsequent misdemeanor, a juvenile probation officer shall process the original delinquent act as a referral to the department and refer the report to the state attorney for review.