Civil Citation Program

BAYS is proud to partner with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and other community stakeholders by providing services to children who receive civil citations or pre-arrest diversion.  We serve civil citation participants that are 12 years of age or under or those who are assessed to have a high-risk to move deeper into Florida’s juvenile justice system.

Florida’s civil citation program is authorized under Florida Statutes Section 985.12 and serves as a pre-arrest diversionary effort to address common youth misbehavior.  Children who come into contact with a law enforcement officer and admit to having committed a misdemeanor offense are generally eligible to participate in Florida’s civil citation program.  The purpose of the program is to provide “an efficient and innovative alternative to custody by the Department of Juvenile Justice for children who commit nonserious delinquent acts and to ensure swift and appropriate consequences.”

Civil citations are beneficial to youth and the communities that they live in by keeping children that pose no real threat to public safety out of the delinquency court system, reducing costs, and freeing up limited resources to focus on children who commit more serious and violent offenses.

The goal of the BAYS civil citation effort is to enhance public safety, while reducing public costs, and holding children accountable without the life-long effects of an arrest on the child’s record.