by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
While it looks like funding for Duval County’s Teen Court program might finally be headed in the right direction, some of its administrators might be headed for hot water.
Over the past few months, funding sources for Duval County’s Teen Court have become increasingly unstable. However, a recent action by City Council appears to have saved the program from possible extinction.
On July 26, the Council approved a bill that would attach a $3 fee to court fines for breaking state traffic laws and convictions on guilty pleas in certain types of court cases.
The money generated from that fee, possibly as much as $650,000 annually, would be earmarked to fund the Teen Court program, which costs about $300,000 each year according to Duval County Teen Court executive director Kim Walsh.
The Council also shifted the existing fiscal management power of Teen Court from Duval County Teen Court, Inc., a non-profit group led by an 11-person board, to State Attorney Harry Shorstein, whose office conducts several other prevention programs similar to Teen Court.
Though finding a solid funding source might sound like reason for celebration, Shorstein and some Council members might have some explaining to do according to a recent letter from the Florida Association of Teen Courts.
The letter, which was sent to all council members and Mayor John Peyton last week, raises several concerns about City Council’s recent power shifting action and statements allegedly made by Shorstein regarding the use of the newly allocated funding.
According to the letter, “(it) is a matter of public record that comments have been made that Mr. Shorstein intends to use some portion of this revenue for other purposed(s), among them to fund drug court.”
Mary Slapp, a former board member for Florida Association of Teen Courts, Inc., said the $3 fee funding is available due to a Florida state statute passed in 2005 that allows for local municipalities to collect a sum of up to $3 in court costs to help fund local teen court programs. Slapp said the statute is very specific and clearly defines that funding from the $3 fee can only be used for teen courts and nothing else.
“There should never be any debate about what a teen court program is,” she said. “The legislature is very familiar with teen court. They know how it operates and they know what these programs are, which is what we are concerned about in Jacksonville.”
Slapp said concerns were raised about Shorstein’s control of the funds because of reported statements that he would divide the funding among his other programs, but Shorstein said he has no such plans.
“That is not what I told them,“ Shorstein said. “I said that the Florida statute is flawed and is not clearly defined as to exactly how the teen court has to operate.”
Though he said he would like to use some of the funding money from the $3 fee for his other prevention programs, Shorstein said he understands the statute and fully understands that the funding is solely for teen court.
Shorstein did say, however, that Duval County’s teen court will be run a little bit differently under his watch.
“In my judgment, there was too much money being spent the way Teen Court was being operated,” Shorstein said. “It turned into a tremendous bureaucracy. They decided by a 17-1 vote to give it to the State Attorney and we will see if we can’t operate it better and more effectively.
“We will still intend to have a Teen Court and you might run it one way and I might run it another but I can tell you it will be run differently than it had been before.”
According to Slapp, the funding distribution concern in Jacksonville is the first case of its kind among teen court programs in Florida. But, she said talks are already underway with State legislators regarding accountability measures to
prevent similar funding concerns.
“We have already discussed with Senator (Mike) Bennett that there may have to be the possibility of a legislative remedy,” she said. “What we are hoping can happen is that we can re-examine the situation here in Jacksonville and come up with an amicable solution that first and foremost will work for the young people of Duval County and to allow the very successful Teen Court program to continue to operate.”
Slapp said an accreditation program for teen courts across the state is one possible measure that could be introduced in the future.