Last week Gov. Rick Scott named Christy Daly as secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Daly had served as interim secretary since July, following stints as deputy secretary, chief of staff and legislative director. The move followed an announcement on Dec. 15 by the governor’s office that juvenile arrests are at their lowest level in more than 30 years, after an 8 percent drop in 2013-14.
During Scott’s first term, former Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Wansley Walters carried out a series of reforms that emphasized prevention, intervention and the rehabilitation of young offenders. For instance, the department increased its use of civil citations instead of detention for first-time, nonviolent offenders. And in June, Scott signed into law a measure formalizing the department’s strategy of shifting funds to prevention programs.
