Forging Paths of Compassion

In the United States, Florida leads the nation in prosecuting minors, from direct file to reinforcing systems like the school-to-prison pipeline. While the Department of Juvenile Justice has made an active effort to move away from the punitive avenues to address juvenile delinquency, the local implementation framework outlined in Florida Statute 985 results in variability in utilization across jurisdictions, influencing the treatment and consequences faced by justice-involved youth. The study unveils the influence of congregation-based community organizations, particularly within the Direct Action Research Training network (DART), in advocating for the expansion of civil citation programs. Through comparative analysis and qualitative interviews, it demonstrates the effectiveness of congregational advocacy in shaping juvenile justice policies. The findings underscore the necessity of statewide standards to ensure consistency and address local challenges in implementation. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of further research into the impact of socio-demographic and contextual factors on program effectiveness and youth outcomes, providing valuable insights for policy development.