Florida Department of Corrections, part 4

General observations

The Florida Department of Corrections has taken a proactive stance in developing a comprehensive approach to the incarceration of young offenders. In its designated youthful offender facilities, the department offers standard educational and treatment programs, as well as the Extended Day Program that seeks to address the energy level, aggression, and impulsiveness of youthful offenders. Although administrators attempt to distinguish between very young offenders and young
adults in housing assignments, no provisions are made to provide developmentally appropriate programming specific to the needs of 14 to 17 year-olds. Given the unique issues and needs of adolescents, the Florida program may compromise its effectiveness by targeting too broad an age group.

Florida Department of Corrections, part 3

Offender Profiles

File reviews of youth incarcerated at these facilities were consistent with the data collected by the surveys. The majority of youthful offenders held in Florida correctional facilities have a history of serious violent offenses, with a smaller number having lengthy criminal records for property, weapons, and drug-related offenses. In many cases, the offense for which they were sentenced had been plea-bargained from a more serious criminal offense. Among the four facilities visited, approximately 50 percent of the resident population were committed for serious violent offenses such as murder, rape, or aggravated assault. The remainder of the population was composed of serial property offenders, many with a record of violent criminal activity.

The Florida Youthful Offender Program includes offenders up to age 24, but in the facilities visited, the majority of the offenders were either 16 or 17 years old. A small number of 14- and 15-year-olds were also noted in each facility. The average length of stay in the facilities was 17 months. However, this figure does not differentiate between offenders released from the correctional system and offenders transferred to adult facilities to serve out the balance of their sentences. The ethnic composition of the population at the facilities was similar to the racial breakdown of the larger Florida correctional system, with 55 percent being African American.

Staff reported significant frustration in dealing with the youthful offender population, describing them as “impulsive” and “much more difficult to manage” than adult offenders. Moreover, the unpredictable behavior of the 16- and 17-year-old population seemed to spread to the older residents, influencing their behavior. Although the department has developed a standard 40-hour youthful offender training program to equip staff with skills to manage these youth, staff report that the training curriculum needs to be updated to better reflect the type of problems they must face. One frequently mentioned issue was that Florida’s reduction of gain-time eligibility, in conjunction with the advent of truth in sentencing, severely reduced incentives for good behavior among the population. With a diminished ability to reward good behavior in a tangible fashion, staff have not yet discovered a meaningful substitute to promote compliance with institutional rules. As a result, property damage, for example, is a major problem at the Hillsborough Correctional Institution, where supervision is complicated by the poor design of the facility.

An interesting observation made by staff at several facilities was that the recent increase in the capacity of the Florida Youth Agency has taken substantial pressure off the adult correctional system. In the past, the small capacity of the Florida juvenile correctional system created pressure on the courts to transfer youthful offenders to the adult correctional system. This trend is now beginning to reverse, and many youth, particularly less serious offenders traditionally sent to the adult correctional system, are now being incarcerated in the juvenile system.

The most notable facility visited was the Indian River Correctional Institution. This facility was distinguished by a strong staff commitment to encourage rehabilitation and to create opportunities for positive change. While the facility’s mission and program structure were similar to those of the other youthful offender facilities, the staff at Indian River were exceptional in their dedication to service and their realistic, but positive, view of their ability to change the inmates’ lives. Cynicism and staff burnout, characteristics of corrections professionals working with youthful offenders, were not evident.

The facility is unique in several ways. A volunteer services program in 1997 attracted more than 2,000 volunteers to provide services to residents of the facility. The community of Indian River gives between $12,000 and $15,000 each year to the institution to provide items and services not funded by the state’s budget. Also unique to the facility is its orientation program, during which department heads personally list the rules and describe opportunities available to newly arrived residents. This esprit de corps and the positive impact of this programming were evident in the orderly appearance and operation of the institution.

Florida Department of Corrections, part 2

Services

Three youthful offender institutions were visited: Brevard, Hillsborough, and Indian River Correctional Institutions. The team also visited the Florida Correctional Institution, an institution for adult female offenders that manages a small youthful offender program. The programs at each facility were similar and are described below.

Central to all four facilities is the Extended Day Program. This program uses a quasi-boot camp structure emphasizing constant activity to keep residents productively occupied in exercise activities, classes, or work detail throughout the day. Programming begins at 5:30 a.m. with military drill and exercise. School programs operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, with other scheduled program activities on weekends. The program operates in a regimented, military atmosphere. Residents are required to ask staff permission to pass by, to stand at attention in the presence of ranked staff, and to use “Yes sir” and “No sir” when speaking. The program uses a ranking system, signified by the color of hat the inmate is required to wear, for access to privileges such as telephone use, commissary access, and visitation rights. Advancement through these ranks is based on good conduct and satisfactory progress in the program.

The premise of the Extended Day Program is that youthful offenders are volatile and impulsive, so more intensive levels of activity are required to manage their behavior. Essentially, the program tries to wear down offenders physically so that they have neither the time nor the energy to engage in misconduct. A high level of activity and structure creates a more receptive attitude toward programming, particularly educational programming. Resistant youth are faced with the prospect of transfer to an adult correctional facility.

Florida’s youthful offender facilities offer standard GED programs, special education services, and vocational training. The facilities also offer medical and mental health treatment services, including therapeutic units for drug and alcohol abuse. In assessing program needs, staff identified a need for a violence interruption program and a life-skills program to assist residents in reintegrating into society.

Florida has attempted to separate youthful offenders from the adult population by dedicating facilities for the youthful offender program. However, the state’s definition of a youthful offender, essentially any offender between the ages of 13 and 24, is broad. Within the youthful offender facilities, attempts are made to further separate offenders by age and type of offense, but program activities generally mix program residents of all ages. The department modifies the Extended Day Program for very young offenders.

Because of their small number, female youthful offenders are incarcerated with adults at the Florida Correctional Institution. The youthful offenders at this facility are housed in a dormitory separate from the adult population. Although they participate in the Extended Day Program, youthful offenders are mixed with the facility’s adult population for all other programs and services.