Update from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Regarding COVID-19

February 23, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 23, 2021

CONTACT:

DJJ Communications Office

news@djj.state.fl.us

(850) 921-5900

Tallahassee, Fla. – The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) continues to take all necessary precautions related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Florida. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in Florida, DJJ has coordinated a proactive and comprehensive response to keep all youth and staff safe within state-operated juvenile detention centers and residential commitment programs.

DJJ is committed to keeping its stakeholders, community partners and the general public informed on the number of positive COVID-19 cases in its state-operated juvenile detention centers and juvenile residential commitment programs. DJJ serves approximately 1,700 youth in 72 of these facilities statewide. These case numbers will be updated regularly on our website and this update will continue to be sent out every Tuesday.

COVID-19 Total Confirmed Cases in DJJ Facilities

Updated: 2/23/2021, 4:10 p.m.	Employees/Contract Staff		Youth
DJJ Facilities	Total Positive Cases	Medically cleared to return to work	Total Positive Cases	No longer in medical isolation
Broward Regional Juvenile Detention Center	32	28	7	7
Palm Beach Regional Juvenile Detention Center	12	12	2	2
Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center	35	32	12	11
Collier Regional Juvenile Detention Center	5	5	4	4
Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center	9	8	4	4
Orange Regional Juvenile Detention Center	11	10	8	7
Pinellas Regional Juvenile Detention Center	17	14	8	8
Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center	13	12	7	7
St. Lucie Regional Juvenile Detention Center	16	6	2	1
Leon Regional Juvenile Detention Center	15	15	1	1
Brevard Regional Juvenile Detention Center	8	8	1	1
SWFL Regional Juvenile Detention Center	11	9	6	6
Duval Regional Juvenile Detention Center	11	10	16	16
Escambia Regional Juvenile Detention Center	15	11	1	1
Okaloosa Regional Juvenile Detention Center	7	7
Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center	18	17	1	1
Alachua Regional Juvenile Detention Center	22	21	2	2
Marion Regional Juvenile Detention Center	19	18	2	2
Pasco Regional Juvenile Detention Center	3	3
Hillsborough Regional Juvenile Detention Center	4	4
Broward Youth Treatment Center	6	6	5	5
Columbus Youth Academy	10	10	1	1
Crestview Youth Academy	15	15	5	5
Miami Youth Academy	15	14	6	6
Miami Girls Academy	4	4
Dove Academy	23	23	8	8
Daytona Juvenile Residential Facility	8	7	5	5
Palm Beach Youth Academy	24	24	28	28
Palm Beach Youth Academy Substance Abuse (SA)			15	15
Okeechobee Youth Development Center	5	5	16	16
Okeechobee Youth Treatment Center	4	4
Okeechobee Girls Academy	5	5	1	1
Okeechobee Sex Offender Facility	2	2	2	2
Okeechobee JOCC Max Risk	3	3	17	17
Okeechobee Intensive Halfway House	2	2
Oak Grove Academy	14	13	9	9
Walton Academy for Growth and Change	22	20	33	33
Escambia Boys Base	13	13	8	8
Kissimmee Youth Academy	15	14	5	3
Lake Academy	4	4	11	11
Redwood Youth Academy	3	3	16	16
Okaloosa Youth Academy	27	27	23	23
Hillsborough Girls Academy	7	6	4	4
Duval Academy	5	5	1	1
Pompano Youth Treatment Center	14	13	16	16
Cypress Creek Treatment Center	9	9	7	7
Cypress Creek JOCC Max Risk	11	11	17	17
Marion Youth Academy	7	7	4	4
Orange Youth Academy	11	10
Hope Forest Academy	5	4	4	4
Joann Bridges Academy	10	10	1	1
Juvenile Unit for Specialized Treatment Program	8	8	8	8
Hastings Comprehensive MH Treatment Program	18	18	5	5
St. Johns Youth Academy	4	4	26	26
Center for Success and Independence-Ocala	2	2	20	20
Center for Success and Independence SA	24	24	20	20
Brooksville Academy	12	11	7	7
Les Peters Academy	10	9
Melbourne Center for Personal Growth	5	5
Tampa Residential Facility	4	4	1	1
Central Pasco Girls Academy	3	3
Bartow Youth Academy	1	1	2	2
Youth Environmental Services	2	2
Alachua Academy	7	6
Brevard Group Treatment Home	3	2
Gulf Academy	3	3	11	11
Polk Halfway House	4	3
Jacksonville Youth Academy	7	6
Twin Oaks Academy			5	5
Everglades Youth Academy	3	1
Totals	706	655	457	452

Additional Information Regarding Facilities with Positive COVID-19 Cases

DJJ continues to work with local health departments and in the case of residential commitment programs, the private contracted providers, regarding the need to test additional youth and staff following the first report of a positive test. The local health department is made aware of each instance of a positive test result. Impacted DJJ facilities are coordinating efforts with local health department officials on issues related to isolation and care for youth who have tested positive and contact tracing to attempt to determine the source of the infection and who else might have been exposed. All employees as well as parents/guardians of youth are notified of positive cases. Increased cleaning and sanitization protocols will also continue at these facilities. Additional questions on the above individuals (age, gender, travel status) should be directed to the Florida Department of Health.

Information on testing

The county health departments and/or each facility’s designated health authority determine when youth should be tested for COVID-19 based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testing criteria. Youth inside juvenile detention centers and residential commitment programs are continuously being monitored and screened for symptoms and if a youth shows symptoms, he or she is isolated from other youth and the facility’s designated health authority is contacted. Youth must show no symptoms and be cleared by the facility’s designated health authority before they are removed from isolation.

Information on personnel inside DJJ facilities

In order to protect the personal health information of these individuals, the name or occupation of the employees at these facilities will not be identified. Staff listed above may be employed by the state or one of its contracted providers. All staff that work inside DJJ facilities are screened daily on every shift prior to entering the facility and if a staffer presents with symptoms, he or she is denied entry and is instructed to contact their health care provider. Staff will not be permitted to return to work until cleared by a medical professional. Outside vendors and personnel continue to be screened daily prior to entry.

DJJ COVID-19 Response

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice has coordinated a proactive and comprehensive response to keep all youth and staff safe. In response to this pandemic, DJJ took the following actions:

Developed a COVID-19 guidance for all facilities serving DJJ youth, including CDC criteria on how to assess and care for youth exhibiting flu-like symptoms and environmental cleaning and disinfection recommendations.
Modified screening protocols and procedures for youth taken into custody by law enforcement who are brought to juvenile assessment centers and detention screening units to include precautionary coronavirus screening questions and protocols.
Instituted additional screening measures for outside vendors and personnel who work within juvenile facilities.
Issued an emergency order suspending visitation at all state-operated juvenile detention centers and juvenile residential commitment programs. DJJ has resumed family visitation with modified procedures to facilities with no active COVID-19 cases. Programs with COVID-19 cases remain under visitation restriction. Both detention centers and residential commitment programs have worked diligently to maintain regular telephone communication, and if feasible video conferencing, between youth and their families throughout the pandemic.
Developed and disseminated pandemic plans for all state-operated juvenile detention centers. Residential commitment providers have developed individual plans for juvenile residential commitment programs. All plans are in keeping with CDC guidelines.

Ongoing measures include the following:

Youth entering into a juvenile detention facility must first complete a precautionary clearance form, which has been adapted to cover the symptoms and screening questions for COVID-19. All youth admitted into a residential commitment program are screened prior to leaving the detention center and then again upon their arrival to the residential commitment program.
All staff that work at state-operated juvenile detention centers and residential commitment programs are screened daily and receive temperature checks on every shift prior to entering the facility. If a staff presents with symptoms, he or she is denied entry and instructed to contact their health care provider. Staff will not be permitted to return to work until cleared by a medical professional. Outside vendors and personnel continue to be screened daily prior to entry.
State-operated juvenile detention centers and residential commitment programs have all implemented cleaning and sanitation plansto reduce the risk of spreading or contaminating surfaces.

For more information on the Department of Juvenile Justice’s response to COVID-19, please visit www.djj.state.fl.us/covid-19 .

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