The Juvenile Justice Committee will be hosting Dewey Caruthers, author of a study Stepping Up: Florida’s Top Juvenile Prearrest Diversion Efforts 2020, at its April 26 meeting at 3:00 pm (please note time change from 12:30pm to 3:00pm for this meeting only). The study reports on how some Florida law enforcement officials are hurting efforts to control the spread of coronavirus. They are choosing not to change the practice of arresting children for first-time common youth misbehavior during the pandemic, which forces kids into jail and detention areas that are hot spots for spreading COVID- 19. The study further provides that separate from coronavirus crisis, prearrest diversions are a much better option for public safety, offering better opportunities for youth and advantages for taxpayers. The data shows that prearrest diversions lead to lower recidivism rates, with fewer reoffenders. Prearrest diversions carry no arrest record, which often precludes youth from employment, education, and housing opportunities. Prearrest diversions have been shown to cost taxpayers much less than arrests.
Dewey Caruthers is the founder of the Caruthers Institute, which is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think-tank that conducts research, crafts solutions, and leads advocacy on emerging issues for the purpose of data-driven social change. Based in St. Petersburg, Florida the institute believes important policy decisions should be made based on data. The League of Women Voters of Florida was a supporter of the study.