NCJ Number
170691
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 64 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1997) Pages: 110-111,113,115
Date Published
1997
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Dade County's (Florida) new Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC), which opened in the fall of 1997, is a centralized processing, referral, and evaluation center for all juveniles arrested in the county.
Abstract
This is a facility where representatives from law enforcement and social services work together under one roof to provide a complete range of services at the initial stages of the juvenile's involvement with the juvenile justice system. The facility is expected to bring the following changes to the county's juvenile justice system: centralized booking and identification, decreased officer downtime due to administrative processing, psychosocial assessment of juveniles, and research and evaluation. Efforts are currently underway to involve community programs in the referral network of JAC. In its referral efforts, the JAC has emphasized mentoring and violence reduction and education. The JAC team has developed a $4 million budget for staffing, equipment, and programs to facilitate the accomplishment of its objectives.