By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune
Published: February 4, 2011
TAMPA - Hillsborough County is looking at taking over juvenile detention duties from the state Department of Juvenile Justice, a move that could save county taxpayers millions of dollars.
State law allows counties to run their own juvenile detention centers, but until last year, there was no written process for the DJJ to certify that locally run centers meet state standards.
At the request of Hillsborough and other counties, the state agency formed a task force to develop a certification process. In November, Marion County became the first county to assume detention duties from the state.
"DJJ never thought a county would want to do it, so they never developed a rule to come in and certify the local facility," said Tom Wilder, chief of staff for the Marion County Sheriff's Department.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner told his fellow commissioners Wednesday the county could save between $3.7 million and $5.2 million a year by taking over juvenile detention.
He cited estimates by the sheriff's office that it can operate juvenile detention at an annual cost of $2.5 million to $4 million compared to the state cost of $7.7 million.
The savings would result from the county not having to pay DJJ fees for taking care of juvenile offenders, said Sheriff's Col. Jim Previtera. Those fees are inordinately high because only 38 of Florida's 67 counties pay. The smaller, poorer counties pay nothing.
Previtera said the most recent figure he had seen showed the county paying the state $288 a day for each juvenile in detention. The sheriff's office estimates it could house juveniles for between $100 and $160 a day.
Sheriff David Gee is willing to consider assuming detention services, Previtera said, but only after a detailed feasibility study.
Taking over juvenile detention responsibility would require hiring up to 100 additional deputies, Previtera said, and possibly building a new detention facility if the DJJ center at Columbus Drive and Falkenburg Road is not up to snuff.
Savings could be used for intervention and diversion programs that have proven effective in rehabilitating juvenile offenders, Beckner said. A preventive approach keeps juveniles from becoming adult prisoners at a much higher cost for taxpayers.
"We know when we invest in the front-end cycle, our kids and our community both benefit in the long term," Beckner said.
County commissioners approved Beckner's request to name a technical advisory group to study the best way for the county to assume juvenile detention duties.
Other options besides having the sheriff do it would be to contract detention services to a private company, or form a regional system with surrounding counties. Beckner said Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coates has expressed an interest in such an arrangement. However, for the regional approach to work, a state law would have to be changed that requires that juvenile offenders be detained in the same county where the commit an offense.
If the county did start housing juvenile offenders, the detention center would have to undergo quarterly inspections by the Department of Juvenile Justice to make sure it meets state standards. If a center gets two bad inspections in a row, the state takes back control, said DJJ spokesman Frank Penela.
Beckner asked the county attorney in August 2009 to research the possibility of assuming juvenile detention operations. His request came after Jan MacLeod, the county's criminal justice liaison, discovered DJJ was charging counties for costs the state should pay. In fiscal 2007-08, the state agency charged counties $2 million for state employee bonuses.
Since 2007, the county has filed five administrative complaints and one lawsuit against DJJ for improper charges. During that time, an administrative law judge found the agency overcharged Hillsborough for 14,000 detention days. As of last year, Hillsborough has gotten more than $3 million in credits from the state due to legal challenges and MacLeod's work.
Mike Salinero
(813) 259-8303