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STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF Health & Rehabilitative OFFICE OF YOUTH SERVICES 1235 16th Street Vero Beach, Florida 32960 1 Bob Graham, Governor Services May 29, 1979 INTERIM REPORT ON THE C& IUNITY PROJECT After receiving preliminary funding from the Vero Beach City Council and the Indian River County Commission in September and October, 1978, the Community Work Project for Juvenile Delinquents began functioning under the supervision of the Vero Beach Public Works Department in November. A six month trial period was anticipated. Original guidelines for the program had been sub- mitted by the Youth Services Office of the Department of Health and Rehabili- tatiVe Services in a statement to the Vero Beach City Coun;itii on September 19, 1978 (attachment A,) and a letter to the City Manager on October 13, 1978 (attachment B). Subsequent meetings between Youth Services staff and Public Works staff resulted in further guidelines issued by the Public Works Depart- ment on November 13, 1978 (attachment C). The implementation of the project finally occurred on November 18, 1978, when eight delinquent boys between the ages of.twelve and seventeen were assigned to work from 8:00a.m. to 2:30p.m. on ode of the City's public beaches. Since that date, work crews of five to ten boys have successfully completed assignments on twenty Saturdays. . After completion of the twentieth week (Play 19, 1979), an attempt was made to gather statistical information that might prove useful in determining the merits of the project. The results of that review follow: 1. A total of 48 boys, ranging in age from 12 to 18 years, were assigned to the Work Project. 2. In the twenty weeks completed, 204 assignments have been made for an average of about four weeks per juvenile. The range in assignments thus far has -.been from two to twelve weeks. 3. Of the 48 boys assigned, 30.�boys have completed their assign- ments. Of those 30 boys, four have subsequently been found guilty of new law violations and one was shot and killed while trying to break into a neighbor's truck. Those five.boys have created a Recidivism Rate of 16.6`10 thus far. The Juvenile Court committed three of the boys to Youth Services facilities as a result of their new crimes. The remaining recidivist was continued on probation and returned to the Work Program by the Court. Two other boys who have completed the program have had problems arise. One child violated his probation in a minor way and was assigned two additional Saturdays to work as a form of discipline. The other bqy was charged with a relatively serious charge that was dropped by the Assistant State Attorney for lack of evidence. 4. Although the recidivism rate on the first 30 boys completing BOOK 41 PAGE 184