1(1) 2In order to provide intensive treatment and psychological services to a juvenile sexual offender committed to the department, it is the intent of the Legislature to establish programs and strategies to effectively respond to juvenile sexual offenders. In designing programs for juvenile sexual offenders, it is the further intent of the Legislature to implement strategies that include:59(a) 60Developing adequate commitment programs and facilities to ensure appropriate and effective treatment and ensure that decisions to release juvenile sexual offenders into the community are not made on the basis of inadequate space.
93(b) 94Providing an adequate number of well-trained staff to address the treatment needs of juvenile sexual offenders.
110(c) 111Providing intensive postcommitment supervision of juvenile sexual offenders who are released into the community with terms and conditions which may include electronic monitoring of a juvenile sexual offender for the purpose of enhancing public safety.
146(d) 147Providing notification to the school to which the juvenile sexual offender is returning, the parents or legal guardians of the victim, and law enforcement, when a juvenile sexual offender returns into the community.
180(2) 181Contingent upon a specific appropriation, the department shall implement and operate programs to provide intensive educational and psychological services and other treatment for juvenile sexual offenders.
207(3) 208Subject to specific appropriation, a child may be placed in a juvenile sexual offender program when committed to the department.
228(4) 229The program shall include educational components, life management training, substance abuse treatment, and intensive psychological treatment provided by appropriate mental health professionals. Juvenile sexual offenders shall be required to participate in all programs and treatment.
264(5) 265Based on assessed need for conditional release, the department shall provide an intensive conditional release component for monitoring and assisting the transition of a juvenile sexual offender into the community with terms and conditions that may include electronic monitoring of the juvenile sexual offender.
309(6) 310The department shall establish protocol and procedures to notify schools, the appropriate law enforcement agencies, and the court when a juvenile sexual offender returns to the community.
337(7) 338The department may contract with private organizations for the operation of a juvenile sexual offender program and conditional release.
357(8) 358The department shall conduct inspections of and quality assurance activities for each juvenile sexual offender program operated by or under contract with the department, based on standards specifically developed for these types of programs, to determine whether the program complies with department rules for continued operation of the program.
407(9) 408The department shall maintain records and other information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of each juvenile sexual offender program and other outcome evaluation requirements.
432(10) 433A Child Protection Team or the state attorney in any judicial circuit may establish a sexual abuse intervention network to assist in identifying, investigating, prosecuting, treating, and preventing sexual abuse with special emphasis on juvenile sexual offenders and victims of sexual abuse.
475(11) 476Membership of a sexual abuse intervention network shall include, but is not limited to, representatives from:492(a) 493Local law enforcement agencies;
497(b) 498Local school boards;
501(c) 502Child protective investigators;
505(d) 506The office of the state attorney;
512(e) 513The office of the public defender;
519(f) 520The juvenile division of the circuit court;
527(g) 528Professionals licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, s. 536490.0145, 537or s. 539491.0144 540providing treatment for juvenile sexual offenders or their victims; 549(h) 550The guardian ad litem program;
555(i) 556The Department of Juvenile Justice; and
562(j) 563The Department of Children and Families.
569(12) 570Each sexual abuse intervention network shall develop a cooperative working agreement describing the roles and responsibilities of all members towards the identification, investigation, prosecution, treatment, and reintegration of juvenile sexual offenders and the treatment of their victims.
607(13) 608Subject to specific appropriation, availability of funds, or receipt of appropriate grant funds, the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Children and Families, or the Department of Juvenile Justice shall award grants to sexual abuse intervention networks that apply for such grants. The grants may be used for training, treatment, conditional release, evaluation, public awareness, and other specified community needs that are identified by the network. A grant shall be awarded based on the applicant’s level of local funding, level of collaboration, number of juvenile sexual offenders to be served, number of victims to be served, and level of unmet needs.
