NCJ Number
198470
Date Published
November 2002
Length
64 pages
Annotation
This report details the program evaluation and justification review of the Prevention and Victim Services Program administered by the Florida Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governmental Accountability.
Abstract
This report describes the program evaluation and justification review of the Prevention and Victim Services Program in Florida which oversees grants and contracts for services to keep at-risk youth from entering the juvenile justice system. The delinquency prevention services provided by this program include a wide range of activities such as boys and girls clubs, after-school enrichment programs, counseling programs, and weekend boot camps. Summarizing the major categories of delinquency prevention services, the report details the organization of these services throughout Florida’s 20 judicial circuits. Focusing on funding issues, the report lists the various sources that contribute money in order to finance the Prevention and Victims Services Program and describes the 10 percent of departmental appropriations allocated to delinquency prevention programming. Evaluations of the program indicate that the organizational placement of this program should remain within the Department of Juvenile Justice. The report presents the Delinquency Prevention Plan’s goals for fiscal year 2000 to 2001 which include targeting services toward youths at highest risk for delinquency; increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of delinquency prevention programs; and coordinating prevention efforts to ensure that agencies and partners at various levels of the public and private sectors serve targeted populations. Additional research to improve delinquency prevention activities and improvements in both contract management and partnership coordination would further enhance the Prevention and Victim Services Program. This report concludes with a series of appendices describing the statutory requirements for program evaluation and justification review, a catalog of prevention programs, fiscal year 2002-2003 legislative initiatives, and a response from the Department of Juvenile Justice.