Circuit 13 advisory board weighs changes to delinquency citation processing as teen takeovers drive referral increases

The Circuit 13 Advisory Board reviewed juvenile-justice data and recommended a cross-agency framework to handle youths eligible for civil citations amid a recent rise in "teen takeover" incidents.

Judy Royston, juvenile diversion court administration, reported that in March 2026 the circuit recorded 39 pre-arrest delinquency-citation referrals (23 community-based and 16 school-based) and that April 2026 saw 57 referrals (39 community-based, 18 school-based). "Battery domestic violence was the leading charge, accounting for 17 referrals," Royston said, and she contrasted the figures with March 2025 totals to show year-over-year variation.

Committee members flagged an increase in mass youth gatherings they described as "teen takeovers," which they said is inflating referral counts and complicating routine citation use. "The data that I've seen thus far, a significant portion of the teen takeover kids would be statutorily eligible for civil citation," said Rob Parkinson, who spoke on the committee's findings and operational challenges. He added that the presence of adult bad actors in some incidents and the need for rapid law-enforcement resolution often mean officers bring youths to the Juvenile Assessment and Care Center (JACC) rather than complete a civil citation on scene.

To address the operational gaps, the committee recommended that DJJ Chief Hammersley collaborate with Director Bitrich and ACT leadership (Chris Rivera and Asha Terminillo) to develop a preliminary framework for how citation-eligible youths would be processed if routed through the JACC. The proposed framework is to cover first-case processing procedures, fingerprinting and identification systems, management of youth on secure floors (since cited youths are technically non-arrest), and mass-screening procedures. The group anticipated meeting in June to draft those procedures.

Royston also summarized monthly referral trends and demographics: March's referrals included 17 females and 22 males and showed fewer referrals in March 2025 compared with March 2026 for the same measures cited. The committee said it will continue comparing Polk and Pinellas county models and SOPs as possible templates for Hillsborough County practice.

Board members emphasized both the discretionary nature of civil-citation implementation across jurisdictions and operational barriers to immediate citation issuance in high-demand incidents. The committee did not adopt a final policy at the meeting; instead it instructed staff and leadership to draft the JACC processing framework for later review.

The advisory board approved routine meeting business during the same session (agenda and minutes), and the group scheduled follow-up work and a future presentation once the draft framework is available.