Youth Reentry Subcommittee

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Chair: Judge Kathleen Kroll

Judge Kathleen Kroll, of West Palm Beach, FL is a Circuit Court Judge in the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County FL.  She was elected to the County Court bench in 1984 and appointed by the Governor to the Circuit Bench in 1994. Prior to taking the bench she was a general litigation attorney for the national law firm of Baskin and Sears in Boca Raton. She spent four years with the Public Defender’s Office where she served as Senior Trial Assistant and Chief of Capital Crimes. In Washington D.C. she worked for the Department of Justice in the Office for the Improvement in the Administration of Justice.

Judge Kroll has taught for the local School Board in adult education courses and at Palm Beach Community College and Florida Atlantic University. She served as Assistant Dean in the Florida College of Advanced Judicial Studies and is a faculty member of the Florida Judicial College. 

Judge Kroll is the recipient of the Gladstone Award for her service to and improvement to the lives of the children of the State of Florida. She served as Chief Judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida and as Administrative Judge both in the County Court and Circuit Court, presently serving as Administrative Judge in the Juvenile Division. She is presently serving on the board of the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties and has previously served on the Boards of the Palm Beach Day Academy School, Mental Health Association and American Red Cross. She is currently the chair of the Youth Reentry Subcommittee. 

Vision Statement

Every youth released from an out-of-home placement to Palm Beach County will (1) have linkages to services, (2) have developed skills and training, and (3) have suppo rts and resources for family reunification, health and mental health, employment and basic needs to succeed in the community—thereby reducing recidivism, increasing public safety, and promoting pro-social development and positive youth outcomes.

Mission Statement

 Reduce recidivism and promote public safety by implementing a coordinated and comprehensive individualized transition plan for each youth based on his or her risks, needs, and strengths.  Agencies from the juvenile justice and social services systems will collaborate to design a client-centered, trauma-informed reentry planning process using traditional and nontraditional resources driven by an evidence-based assessment tool, focusing on an individualized transition plan from the time of the youth’s commitment to out-of-home placement through the period of incarceration, to the periods of transition, reintegration, and aftercare in the community.

Goal

Reduction in recidivism by 50 percent over a five-year period.  Recidivism is defined as a youth who has been released from an out-of-home placement, having been adjudicated as delinquent for a new act (in the juvenile justice system) or a youth who has been found guilty for a new crime in the adult criminal justice system.

Target Population

The Task Force identified the target population for the reentry strategic plan to be identified youthful offenders returning to Palm Beach County from the Department of Corrections and juveniles released into Palm Beach County from the Department of Juvenile Justice or the Palm Beach Sherriff’s Office

Workgroups

The Youth Reentry Subcommittee has 3 workgroups that meet regularly to address reentry issues in various systems. 

• Department of Juvenile Justice Work Group
• Department of Corrections Work Group
• Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Work Group

2016 Meeting Dates

All meetings begin at 12:10 pm and are located at 301 N. Olive Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 (McEaddy Conference Room--- 12th Floor)

• March 31, 2016
• June 23, 2016
• August 25, 2016 --- If needed
• December 8, 2016