The Florida Senate

985.316  Furlough and intensive aftercare.--

(1)  With regard to children referred or committed to the department, the function of the department may include, but shall not be limited to, supervising the child when furloughed into the community from a facility of the department, including providing such counseling and other services as may be necessary for the families and assisting their preparations for the return of the child.

(2)  Whenever a delinquent child is committed to a residential program operated by a private vendor under contract, the department may negotiate with such vendor to provide intensive aftercare for the child in the home community following successful completion of the residential program. Intensive aftercare shall involve regular contact between the child and the staff of the vendor with whom the child has developed a relationship during the course of the commitment program. Contingent upon specific appropriation, a contract for intensive aftercare provided by the residential commitment program vendor shall provide for caseloads of 10 or fewer children, intensive aftercare for 1 year, and a transfer of the ongoing case management and reentry responsibilities from the department to the vendor at the time the vendor admits the child into the commitment program. The department shall annually seek the necessary resources to provide intensive aftercare.

(3)  Subject to specific appropriation, the department shall provide or contract for outpatient sexual offender counseling for any juvenile sexual offender furloughed from a commitment program, as a component of aftercare services.

(4)  Upon a recommendation that a child committed to the department have his or her furlough revoked, the department shall, within 30 days after the date the recommendation is made, hold an administrative hearing pursuant to chapter 120.

(5)  It is the legislative intent that, to prevent recidivism of juvenile offenders, reentry and aftercare services be provided statewide to each juvenile who returns to his or her community from a residential commitment program. Accordingly, the Legislature further intends that reentry and aftercare services be included in the continuum of care.

History.--s. 5, ch. 90-208; s. 55, ch. 94-209; s. 1354, ch. 95-147; s. 5, ch. 95-266; s. 47, ch. 95-267; s. 60, ch. 97-238.

Note.--Former s. 39.067.