Pinellas County
Juvenile Diversion Services
- Juvenile Arrest Avoidance Program
- Juvenile Arbitration
- STOP (Service & Treatment for Offender Prevention)
- Teen Court (Including Truancy)
- Juvenile Drug Court
- AIM (At Risk Intervention and Motivation)
- Additional Information about Juvenile Diversion & Program Statistics
- Teen Court Information and Forms
JAAP addresses ways to break the cycle of juvenile justice involvement of Pinellas County’s youth. This large collaborative effort was borne of the growing concern with the incidence of juvenile re-arrest and the likelihood that these juveniles would gravitate toward more serious adult crimes.
To stem the tide of juvenile arrests and the recidivism, 16 key stakeholders devised a new way to deal with juveniles accused of a first-time misdemeanor offense. These cases are “direct” diverted, which means that eligible cases are offered participation in one of a half dozen existing diversion programs, without the filing of an arrest affidavit. Thus, a youth, through successful completion of diversion, earns a non-arrest record on a potential misdemeanor charge.
JAAP relies on the Court’s Juvenile Arbitration Program to help screen cases for eligibility, collect statistics, and provide diversion programming in the areas of mental health substance abuse and other social issues. About 70 percent of the direct diverted youths are in one of the programs.
JAAP is supported by the Sixth Judicial Circuit: Unified Family Court Judges, State Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Court Administration; Pinellas County: Justice and Consumer Services, Clerk of Circuit Court, Sheriff’s Office, Juvenile Welfare Board, County School System; Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, Operation PAR, PAR-JAC, Eckerd Family Foundation, Westcare, municipal law enforcement agencies, School Police, the Health and Human Services Council, Family Resources, and Bay Area Youth Services.
Participants in this program for first time juvenile offenders charged with a misdemeanor are scheduled for a hearing, at which sanctions are assigned. Sanctions may include restitution, a letter of apology, an essay assignment, school attendance and behavior improvements, counseling assessment, community service, and/or educational classes.
The parent/legal guardian and youth will sign an Agreement that stipulates conditions for the youth to conclude before successful completion of Juvenile Arbitration.
The program offers more than 20 different classes, such as Conflict Resolution, Drug, Alcohol & Tobacco Awareness and Prevention, To Catch a Thief, Maximum Security Jail Tour, Judicial Education, Truancy Related Law, Medical Examiner’s Class, Peer Pressure Class, Alcohol Awareness, and Controlling Abuse of Drug Prescriptions (CAP).
Follow-up hearings are held in six to eight weeks to determine if the offender has met the requirements for avoiding a juvenile record.
STOP is for juveniles who are repeat misdemeanor offenders and/or third degree felony offenders (exclusive of third degree felonies involving personal violence, auto theft, or the use of a weapon). It is a long-term intensive arbitration program that requires juvenile offenders to complete specified sanctions, such as community service, counseling (individual or family), school attendance and/or gainful employment, and various individualized sanctions. In most cases, fulfillment of all sanctions avoids prosecution and a juvenile record.
Certain repeat offenders are not eligible for the STOP program.
Participants enter this program through an initial hearing, at which appropriate sanctions are assigned. These sanctions include a minimum of 50 community service hours and mandatory weekly phone contact. Approximately 60 days after the initial hearing, participants also are required to attend a mid-term hearing, during which compliance with his/her sanctions is verified.
At a final hearing, the case is closed successfully if the juvenile has completed the assigned sanctions in approximately four months. When sanctions are not completed within 120 days, the hearing officer has discretion to continue the case or close it unsuccessfully. The referring agency receives a final report indicating the disposition of the juvenile.
Teen Court was conceived as a way to interrupt developing patterns of criminal behavior in youths under 18 years of age. The program promotes self-esteem, motivation for self-improvement, and a healthy attitude toward authority.
In addition, Teen Court is an educational forum for non-offending teens, who are allowed to participate in the legal process, become familiar with the court system, and learn about various career opportunities.
Juveniles who admit guilt are eligible for participation in Teen Court only one time and must have a parent/guardian at all proceedings. At the hearing, sanctions are imposed by a group of the defendant’s peers. He/she is required to assume responsibility for the offending behavior and to accept the consequences or punishment set by the peer court, students from various high schools in the community.
The defendant has six weeks to complete his/her sanctions, which may include counseling, community service, essays, letters of apology, jail or funeral home tours, gang awareness program, and education about conflict resolution, dropout prevention, theft prevention, substance abuse/testing and pre-teen awareness. At the end of the six weeks, the defendant meets with Teen Court personnel to ensure that all assigned sanctions have been completed, earning a dismissal of his/her charge.
Teen Court volunteers are high school students who have expressed an interest in the courts, law enforcement, government, or public speaking. Student volunteers are required to have no prior juvenile offenses and take a four-hour training course provided by assistant State Attorneys, Public Defenders, and Teen Court staff. They then serve as bailiff, court clerk, jurors, prosecutors and defense attorneys at hearings, presided over by volunteers from the offices of the State Attorney and Public Defender.
Questions about the program or becoming a Teen Court volunteer may be directed to:
Pinellas County:
Juvenile Arbitration Program/Teen Court
Program Coordinator
Pinellas County Justice Center
14250 49th St. N., J3601
Clearwater, Florida 33762
Telephone: 727.582.7400
Fax: 727.582.7762
Pinellas County: Truancy Teen Court
Early intervention is provided through the Teen Court process for youths who have established a pattern of non-attendance and unexcused absences (5-15 days). Truancy Teen Court operates in the same way as the standard Teen Court with hearings in a grand jury format.
Truants in the program are required to attend educational programs, counseling if appropriate and meet mandatory school attendance standards prescribed by the Teen Court jury. Truancy Teen Court targets students in middle school through 10th grade and ages 11 -16. Students in other grades may be considered if appropriate.
Juvenile Drug Court (offered in Pinellas County only) is a diversion program for juveniles who have received misdemeanor and/or felony drug charges. Juveniles who enter the program and successfully complete it earn a dismissal of their charge.
Participants are required to submit to random urinalyses as well as a drug assessment. An initial hearing is scheduled with a hearing master, and participants are given appropriate sanctions, which must be completed. Hearings are scheduled monthly to monitor progress of participants in the Juvenile Drug Court Program.
AIM (At-Risk Intervention and Motivation) is a voluntary summer prevention program in Pinellas County. It provides education and community referrals for siblings of Juvenile Diversion defendants, truants, siblings of Department of Juvenile Justice-involved youth, or other at-risk youths. It provides an education forum with a goal of preventing participants from ever entering into the juvenile justice system.
Parents, teenagers, attorneys and other citizens with questions about the Sixth Judicial Circuit’s Juvenile Diversion programs may use the information below to contact the program coordinator’s office for Pasco or Pinellas County. (JAAP, Truancy Teen Court, Teen Drug Court and AIM are programs that are available in Pinellas County).
Pinellas County:
Juvenile Diversion Programs Coordinator
Juvenile Arbitration/Teen Court
Pinellas County Justice Center
14250 49th St. N., J3301
Clearwater, Florida 33762
Telephone: 727.582.7400
Fax: 727.582.7762