Volunteer Coordinator Manual - Florida Department of Juvenile Justice

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE JUSTICEVOLUNTEER PROGRAMMISSIONThe mission of the volunteer program is to augment and enhance the jobs beingperformed by the juvenile justice staff. The volunteer program enables thedepartment to increase both the quality and the quantity of juvenile justiceservices and programs provided throughout the state.DEFINITIONA DJJ volunteer is any person who provides goods or services to the Departmentof Juvenile Justice but is not a salaried employee and does not receive salarycompensation. As an “unpaid employee,” the volunteer is held to the same rules,regulations, and laws as are juvenile justice employees. Volunteers are coveredby state liability protection, workers’ compensation and are protected against tortclaims from youth. Mentors and interns are considered to be volunteers underthis program.BACKGROUNDVolunteers have worked in the Florida juvenile justice system for the past severaldecades, devoting countless hours to making the juvenile justice system moreeffective. Traditionally, in Florida, the major thrust and responsibility for thevolunteer program in residential facilities has come through the efforts of theRecreation Therapist. Consequently, the greatest utilization of volunteers hasbeen in the areas of religious activities and alcohol and substance abuseprograms.It was once estimated that 93 million Americans volunteered an average of 4.2hours a week and gave a total of 15.7 billion hours to volunteer services. Theuse of volunteer services in the criminal justice settings, including juvenile justice,has been sporadic at best. Although it is estimated that the criminal justicesystem draws less than one-half of 1% of the available volunteer pool in America,the 1990s seemed to be a decade of increased criminal justice volunteerism.Establishing links between community volunteers and youth is a continuingchallenge for juvenile justice administrators.