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COMMITMENT OVERVIEW

For a youth who is being considered for commitment, the juvenile probation officer or JPO schedules a commitment conference.  The commitment manager establishes the Department’s recommendation for court disposition in each case presented based on input from conference participants and the juvenile’s Comprehensive Evaluation.  Primary consideration for a commitment recommendation is public safety and meeting the individual treatment needs of the youth and to ensure no other options are viable at a less restrictive level to reduce or eliminate the youth’s threat to public safety.  Once the court has ordered the youth to a specific restrictiveness level, it is the responsibility of the Department to determine the most appropriate placement available within that restrictiveness level.

In Florida, a youth may be committed by a judge (also known as adjudicated) to a residential program for the violation of a law.  This is not the same as a conviction or imprisonment.  The Florida juvenile justice system is designed to rehabilitate offenders through supervision, counseling and treatment.  A youth’s commitment is for an indeterminate period of time, which may include periods of temporary release.
Residential facilities differ by restrictiveness level. There are the five levels of juvenile commitment in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice but only four are “residential” commitment.  Definitions of the five different restrictiveness levels are listed below.  A written description of each residential program, its services, a map with directions, and contact information is available in the Residential Facilities portion of the Department of Juvenile Justice website.

LOW-RISK RESIDENTIAL
Youth classified for placement in programs in this restrictiveness level are assessed as low risks to public safety, yet require 24-hour supervision.  Currently, most placements result from first and second-degree misdemeanors to third degree felonies.  Patterns of offending are infrequent and non-violent and are oriented toward property crimes rather than crimes against people.  These youth have usually performed unsuccessfully in prevention and diversion programs, and typically have weak family and community support structures.  Low-risk programs cannot accept youth who are found to have committed delinquent acts that involve firearms, are sexual offenses, or would be life felonies or first-degree felonies if committed by an adult. With the court’s concurrence, low-risk programs may allow supervised and unsupervised access to the community contingent upon the youth’s assessed risk to the public and demonstration of positive behavior.

MODERATE-RISK RESIDENTIAL
A juvenile who is sent to a moderate-risk residential commitment program by a judge will stay in the program on average from 6 to 9 months.  If your child is adjudicated to a moderate-risk program, the court has determined that he is a moderate risk to public safety.  He will be supervised 24 hours a day by staff members.  Moderate-risk facilities are staff-secure, environmentally-secure, or hardware-secure with walls, fencing or locking doors.  Moderate-risk programs, with the court’s permission for your child, allow supervised and unsupervised access to the community contingent upon your child’s assessed risk to the public and his behavior while in the program.

HIGH-RISK RESIDENTIAL
A juvenile who is sent to a high-risk residential commitment program by a judge will stay in the program on average from 9 to 12 months.  If your child is adjudicated to a high-risk program, the court has determined that he is a moderate risk to public safety and requires close supervision in a structured residential setting that provides 24-hour secure custody and care.  He will be supervised 24 hours a day by staff members.  High-risk facilities are hardware-secure with perimeter fencing and locking doors.  If your child is placed in a high-risk residential commitment program, his access to the community is restricted to necessary off-site activities such as court appearances and health-related events.  However, with the court’s permission, your child may have unsupervised home visits as his program completion date nears to help him transition from the structured environment of the program to the home environment.  Unsupervised home visits may be granted only if your child is assessed as a minimum risk to the community and has demonstrated positive behavior while in the high-risk residential commitment program.

MAXIMUM-RISK RESIDENTIAL
A youth adjudicated to a maximum-risk residential commitment program by a judge will stay in the program on average from 18 to 36 months.  If your child goes to a maximum-risk program, the court has determined that he is a serious risk to public safety and requires 24-hour custody, care and close supervision in a maximum-security setting.  He will be supervised 24 hours a day by staff members.  Maximum-risk facilities are hardware-secure with perimeter security fencing and locking doors.  These programs feature single-person cells for sleeping arrangements.  However, youths may be housed together during the pre-release, transitional phase at the end of their commitment terms.  Except for necessary off-site, supervised activities—such as court appearances and health-related events—juveniles in maximum-risk programs are prohibited from having access to the community.

Contact a Milton and Pensacola juvenile criminal defense attorney to discuss your child's case today by calling 850-983-0725.
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Copyright 2015.  James Turner Law Firm, LLC.  The Milton, Florida, office of The James Turner Law Firm, LLC, serves clients throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, including Pensacola, Bellview, Gonzalez, Century, Pace, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Cantonment, Molino, Perdido Key, Walnut Hill, Bagdad, Navarre, Fort Walton Beach and Pensacola Beach; counties including Santa Rosa County and Escambia County; as well as Eglin Air Force Base, Whiting Field and NAS Pensacola (Naval Air Station).
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Juvenile Crime
Types of Offenses
Disposition (Sentencing)