Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

72% of Youths Restored to Competency, Able to Move to Delinquency Proceedings

Report 00-27, December 2000




Report Summary

  • The Juveniles Incompetent to Proceed Program restores the adjudicative competency of 72% of the mentally ill and mentally retarded children court-ordered to participate in competency restoration training. Training is most effective for mentally ill children. The $4.2 million program served 266 children in Fiscal Year 1999-2000.
  • More than half of children complete training within six months; 90% complete training within a year. After training, children are returned to the juvenile justice system to continue with delinquency proceedings.
  • The program is an improvement over the way juvenile competency was handled before Florida's juvenile competency statute was passed in 1996. However, community partners raise concerns about methods used to assess juvenile competency; delays securing services and placements for children; and delays discharging children from the program. Some of these issues are outside the department's influence.


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  3. Progress Report: Delays Reduced But Persist in the State's Juvenile Competency Program
    Report 02-54 October 2002
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
social services, health, children, medical, children's mental health, developmental services, restoration of competency, juvenile justice, competency, crime, trial and delay, court, CMS, special needs, children's health, children's medical services, integrated care systems, services, integrated care systems, care coordination, prevention, intervention, claims, special needs