© 2025 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Florida's Juvenile Arrests Drop As Civil Citation Use Grows

WUSF | By The Associated Press
Published December 29, 2017 at 8:20 AM EST
Florida Department of Juvenile Justice

Despite more than doubling in population, Florida had the fewest number of juvenile arrests last fiscal year since it began keeping statistics 42 years ago.

Gov. Rick Scott's office and the Department of Juvenile Justice released statistics Thursday saying that Florida had 64,824 juvenile arrests in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

That compares to 105,615 juvenile arrests in the fiscal year that ended in 1976, when Florida had a population of 8.5 million. It now has more than 20.6 million residents.

It's also a 24 percent drop in arrests over the last five years, as law enforcement agencies are increasingly issuing civil citations and using other diversion programs.

In the fiscal year that ended in 2012, only 26 percent of eligible youths were issued civil citations. That rose to 55 percent last fiscal year.

Copyright 2020 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. To see more, visit .

Tags
Law EnforcementJuvenile JusticeLocal
The Associated Press
See stories by The Associated Press
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • Environment
    Gray Catbirds – “Skulkers” and Hunters in Dense Vegetation
    Dr. Jerry Jackson
    Gray Catbirds are in a bird family known as the “Mimidae” – because they mimic other birds, other animals, and even mechanical sounds. Other members of their family in Florida include the Brown Thrasher and the Northern Mockingbird – two excellent mimics that we often see and hear year-round as they feed, sing, and nest in relatively open vegetation. They often mimic the vocalizations of other bird species and it has been suggested that their mimicry may send the message that the area is crowded – and cause other birds to search for food elsewhere.
  • FILE - SNAP EBT information sign is displayed at a gas station in Riverwoods, Ill., Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)
    Government & Politics
    Trump administration demands states 'undo' full SNAP payouts as states warn 'catastrophic impact'
    The Associated Press
    President Donald Trump's administration is demanding that states reverse full SNAP benefits issued under recent court orders. The U.S. Supreme Court has stayed those rulings, affecting 42 million Americans who rely on the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's demand follows warnings from over two dozen states about potential "catastrophic operational disruptions" if they aren't reimbursed for benefits authorized before the stay. Nonprofits and Democratic attorneys general had sued to maintain the program, winning favorable rulings last week. Wisconsin, for example, loaded benefits for 700,000 residents but now faces financial strain.
  • Government & Politics
    New Big Carlos Pass Bridge to open to traffic on Friday, Nov. 14
    WGCU Staff
    Traffic will shift to the new Big Carlos Pass bridge overnight Thursday, Nov. 13.