Juvenile Incompetent to Proceed Program (JITP)

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System Description:
Florida's Juvenile Incompetent to Proceed (JITP) Program provides competency restoration services to juveniles who have been charged with a felony prior to their 18th birthday and do not have the ability to participate in legal proceedings due to their mental illness, intellectual disability, or autism. Our goal is to provide assessment, evaluation and intensive competency restoration services to allow the juvenile to return to court and proceed with their court proceedings. Competency restoration services are available in both the community and in a secure residential setting.

Philosophy:
We seek to provide competency restoration services with dignity and fairness, in the least restrictive manner possible. We recognize some juveniles will not likely be restored to competency and report this information to the courts in a timely manner.

Purpose:
To provide appropriate competency restoration services to juveniles in a community outpatient setting or in a secure residential placement, with the goal that each juvenile will become knowledgeable about the delinquency process and their legal situation to ensure appropriate due process in the legal system.

The Juveniles We Serve:
Competency restoration services are provided to juveniles who have been charged with a felony prior to their 18th birthday and do not have the ability to participate in legal proceedings due to their mental illness, intellectual disability, or autism. Diagnostic categories include all major DSM mental disorder classifications that are noted as mental illness under Chapter 394 & Chapter 916, Florida Statutes, or an intellectual disability or Autism diagnosis as defined in Chapter 393, Florida Statutes.

Community Restoration Services:
Community services are provided to juveniles in their home, detention or at their school by Twin Oaks Forensic Outpatient Services (TOFOS). Case management and competency training are the focus of the program. Mental health services are not provided, but are coordinated by the juvenile's case manager. Services provided under the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) are provided by that agency’s support coordinators.

Secure Residential Services:
Juveniles determined by the court to require treatment/training in a secure residential setting are served at Apalachicola Forest Youth Camp (AFYC) located in Liberty County, Florida. AFYC is a 39 bed facility operated by Twin Oaks Juvenile Development, Inc. under contract with the Department of Children and Families. It is located on a 78 acre site located in a wilderness area. Security measures include cameras and a 14 foot high fence. The buildings are constructed as log homes. The facility consists of six 7 -8 - person cabins with individual bedrooms, an education building with six classrooms, a professional building with 24-hour nursing coverage and an administrative building.

For more details about TOFOS or AFYC, please see their website at http://www.twinoaksfl.org