Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #3156FY0001 City of Jacksonville, Truancy Interdiction Program
Requester:		Judith Truett			Organization:		City of Jacksonville, Community Services Department
Project Title:		City of Jacksonville, Truancy Interdiction Program			Date Submitted:		2/16/01 5:38:38 PM
Sponsors:		James King
Statewide Interest:		Crime Prevention, Education, Juvenile Delinquency
Recipient:		City of Jacksonville			Contact:		Daniel D'Alesiro
		117 West Duval Street, Suite 210			Contact Phone:		(904) 630-6450
		Jacksonville 32202
Counties:		Duval
Service Area:		Government Entity
Project Description:
TRUANCY INTERDICTION PROGRAM (TIP) Funding support for the continuation of the City of Jacksonville, Truancy Interdiction Program (TIP) as indicated below: Activities supported by funding: 1. Intake staff, equipment, supplies, and transportation support for the operation of 3 Truancy Centers on the Southside (Southside Middle School site), Northside (A.P. Randolph Academy site), and Beaches Truancy Center (Boys and Girls Club site across from Fletcher High School). These Truancy Centers will provide effective intervention for both habitual truants (as defined by law) and for other children who are beginning to engage in truancy behavior. 2. Placement of a master's level counselor at each Truancy Center for immediate crisis intervention, counseling, and referrals of truants and parents. These services will benefit not only habitual truants, but will also fill a gap for children who are beginning to engage in truant behavior, but do not meet the statutory criteria necessitating referral to Absentee Intervention Teams (Child Study Teams). Funded case managers will provide follow-up services and support to truant children and their families. Truancy is a gateway behavior to delinquency, and is associated with crimes committed during school hours. In 1998, Jacksonville became the first community in the nation to implement a Juvenile Justice Comprehensive Strategy, utilizing the innovative, research-based, data-driven, architecture developed by the U.S. Department of Justice. Centered around a dynamic coalition of government and community leaders, providers, funders, media, and faith-based organizations, the Comprehensive Strategy focuses on minimizing risk factors, and ehancing protective factors in order to reduce juvenile crime. Statistical indicators reviewed by the Comprehensive Strategy revealed that Jacksonville had significant problems with student absenteeism, academic failure, and rising juvenile crime. The Comprehensive Strategy recommended the creation of a proactive truancy program, the establishment of truancy centers, and creative interventions to reduce truancy, increase student and parent commmitment to school, and reduce juvenile crime. Recognizing that no single entity can solve truancy problems, a collaborative partnership entitled, the "Truancy Interdiction Program" (TIP) was formed in 1998. TIP is a dedicated partnership of City government, law enforcement agencies, the Duval County Public School Board, the State Attorney's Office, human services providers, businesses, the faith community, and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. After reviewing the results of a pilot program, TIP began full implementation in school year 1998-1999. TIP partners participated in data analysis, process management review, process mapping, and other total quality procedures to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the program,and to enhance the solidarity and scope of the collaborative effort. The TIP process, including the operation of truancy centers, efficiently uses law enforcement to identify and intercept truants, without detracting from other important law enforcement duties. TIP enhances the quantity and quality of counseling, educational and family management interventions in order to increase truant and parent commitment to school, reduce truancy recidivism, and thereby help to reduce juvenile crime. Innovative elements of TIP: (a) a data-based decision-making process of the Comprehensive Strategy;(b) focus on reduction of priority risk factors and enhancement of protective factors to reduce truancy and juvenile crime; (c) maximizing existing resources without duplication; (d) effective student and family interventions; (e) application of total quality methodology for continuous process improvement; and (f) expansion of the number of truancy centers to more efficiently provide for in-depth intervention within the 841 square miles of the consolidated City of Jacksonville, including its Beaches communities.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
GENERAL OUTCOMES EXPECTED: The funding under this proposal would: (a) reduce juvenile crime and violence by intervening in truancy behavior-a gateway behavior to delinquency;(b) help deter and prevent the onset of truancy; (c) assist the TIP partners in intervening effectively to reduce habitual truancy; (d) improve attendance and academic achievement of habitual truants; (e) reduce truancy recidivism; (f) enhance studnet and family commitment to school; (g) enhance school safety; (h) increase promotion and graducation rates; (i) increase the opportunity for more truants on the Northside, Westside, and Beaches area of Duval County to receive more intensive, initial through a Truancy Center; (j) substantially reduce the transportation time necessary to transport truants who may be picked up with the 841 square mile jurisdictional limits of the Consolidated City of Jacksonville (the largest city in land area in the United States); (k) increase professinal counseling and case-management services for truancy intervention; (l) help make the Jacksonville TIP program a "best practice" model for replication throughout the State of Florida and the nation. SPECIFIC OUTCOMES ANTICIPATED: (1) Percentage of truants subsequent improved attendance (Target 50%). (2) Percentage of truants with subsequent attendance problems such as tardiness (Target not to exceed 15%). (3) Percentage of truancy recidivism (target not to exceed 15%). (4) Percentage of parents/guardians who successfully respond to the Truancy Center calls to pick up a truant child (Target of 95%). (5) Percentage of parents/guardians who rate their satisfaction with Truancy Center process an average score of "good" or better on survey forms (Target of 90%). (6) Reduction in absenteeism rate for Duval County Schools below the State of Florida average. HISTORICAL OUTCOME SUMMARY: 10,400 truants processed. Recidivism rate 1999-19% Recidivism rate 2000-14.9% Increased attendance 2000-47% Number of truants wanted for crimes or violation of probation School Year 1998-99=877. Number of truants wanted for violation of probation School Year 1999-2000=555. Juveniles arrested for residential burglary decreased by 23% in Calendar Year 1998. Juveniles arrested for residential burglary decreased by 35% in Calendar Year 1999. Residential burglaries during school hours decreased by 32% in Calendar Year 1999.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:						$407,000
Total cost of the project:			$534,000
Request has been made to fund:				Operations
Type of funding match:		Federal
					Total In-Kind Amount:		$127,000
Was this project previously funded by the State?							Yes
	Fiscal Year:		2000-2001		Amount:		$250,000
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?							Yes
	Amount:		$428,000
	Purpose for future year funding:					Recurring Operations
	Will this be an annual request?						Yes
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?							No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?							No
Is there a documented need for this project?							Yes
	Documentation:		TIP database, school records, and juvenile crime statistics
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?							Yes
	Hearing Body:		Duval County Legislative Delegation
	Meeting Date:		12/4/00