Juvenile Justice Referrals in the Wake of School Safety Legislation: A Time Series Analysis

• In Event: School Safety, Juvenile Justice, and Research Methodologies: Navigating Policy and Practice

Abstract

The last decade has resulted in increases in school safety measures and programs across the United States. Originally passed in Florida in 2018, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act (SB 7026) expanded school safety measures across the state, including zero-tolerance policies, the presence of school safety officers, guardian programs, and threat assessments teams. The passing of this legislation provides the opportunity for a quasi- experimental assessment of the possible effects of school safety policies on referrals (i.e., arrests) to the juvenile justice system. Therefore, this study compares trends in referrals to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (FDJJ) originating from schools to trends in referrals originating from the community. Monthly counts of school and community-based referrals for each month between January 2010 and December 2022 are analyzed using interrupted time series analysis (ITSA). The findings from this study can provide valuable information about the short-term impact of Florida’s school safety legislation on referrals to the juvenile justice system.

Authors

• Kristina K. Childs, University of Central Florida

• Melanie F.P. Soderstrom, Texas State University

• Jennifer H. Peck, University of Central Florida