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Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess; State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle; Juvenile Services Director Wansley Walters; OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores; White House Drug Control Policy Chief of Staff Steve Katsurinis; and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez.

Through the National Demonstration Project, which has been funded by OJJDP since 2000, Miami-Dade County launched the Civil Citation Initiative, a program that has been instrumental in reducing juvenile arrest rates, particularly among minorities. Juvenile arrests have decreased by 41 percent, well above the national average of 24 percent, and re-arrest rates have been reduced by 78 percent in the last 10 years. Miami-Dade County is the only major urban area in the United States to consistently reduce juvenile arrests since 2001.

In his remarks, Administrator Flores applauded the success of the program:

This model is a win-win for everyone. We encourage other regions throughout the nation to take notice of the good work happening in Miami-Dade.

The summit offered an overview of the National Demonstration Project and the juvenile justice system's reforms in Miami-Dade County. The day concluded with a general panel discussion with the juvenile justice partners about the benefits of the program from one of its successful participants. Law enforcement personnel, judiciary workers, State attorneys, and public defenders from around the country attended the conference. Also attending the ceremony were Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez and ONDCP Deputy Director Scott Burns. Wansley Walters, Director of the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department, also delivered remarks.

Miami-Dade County is the first jurisdiction in the nation to institute a program such as the Civil Citation Initiative. Officers issue civil citations instead of criminal infractions for those juveniles with misdemeanor offenses, saving kids from criminal arrests while requiring restitution and rehabilitation, as appropriate. Also, parents can refer their children to the program so that these children can change their behavior before they get into trouble. The Civil Citation Initiative, which has a successful completion rate of 84 percent, uses mental health, school intervention, substance abuse counseling, case workers, and other services to treat the root of the problem and the individual.

"By identifying and addressing the individual needs and issues of the child, we are preventing arrests," said Walters. "It is a systematic change in how juvenile justice is delivered that focuses on prevention and treatment." 

In addition to improving circumstances for the children of Miami-Dade County, the Initiative has improved the juvenile services department's operations by reducing the number of children in the juvenile system and the work required to service them. The intake and screening process has been reduced by more than 60 percent, and court appearances also have been reduced. All in all, the Initiative yields annual savings of more than $16 million.

More than 1,800 young people have participated in the program, more than 95 percent of whom are minorities. Such a large involvement of minorities in the program has been essential in reducing disproportionate minority contact in Miami-Dade County.

A book detailing the program, The Miami-Dade County Juvenile Justice Model, was provided to summit participants and is available free on the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department Web site.