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Civil Citations Bring Juvenile Arrests Down In Orange, Osceola

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The number of juveniles in Orange and Osceola counties getting civil citations instead of being arrested for low-level misdemeanors is up.

The League of Women Voters of Orange County collected the data, which show the number of young offenders getting arrested was cut in half from 2014 to 2017.

In fiscal year 2015 there were 1,666 arrests, in FY 2016 there were 1,207 arrests, and in FY 2017 there were 817.

There were 47 arrests in Miami-Dade, and the League’s Deirdre MacNab said that shows more needs to be done in Orange and Osceola counties.

“It’s all about giving the kids a second chance. And today with the zero tolerance in schools, and in the community at large, this is a very important flexibility,” said MacNab.

Juveniles who receive civil citations still face the same consequences as those who get arrested they just don’t get a record, said the League’s Maura Smith.

“Kids get a better future because they don’t have an arrest record,” said Smith. “When a kid is asked if he’s had an arrest, the answer is yes, he’s had an arrest. It changes their future.”

Smith says it helps that more police departments are aware of civil citations.