Juveniles in jail still need to learn. Here's who is teaching them in Escambia County.

Escambia County has some of the highest arrest rates of children ages 10 – 17 in the state of Florida. According to the latest data from the Florida Department of Health, 33 children per 1,000 people were arrested in 2021. The state average is half that.

Five years ago, the arrest rate of children in Escambia was about double what it is now, and although the numbers may fluctuate from year to year, educators aren’t giving up on kids behind bars.

For more than two decades, the Escambia County School District has provided educational services to juveniles behind bars who have been adjudicated as an adult. It’s part of a cooperative agreement between the school district and Escambia County that allows teachers to hold class in the county jail.

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The classroom is as close to a traditional school classroom as possible.

“I have a teacher there who is certified in exceptional student education,” said Kerri Coots, director of alternative education for Escambia County Public Schools. “He also has middle grades integrated, which means he can teach all the subjects through ninth grade. He provides education to those students, and they use the same platform that we do in the district. They can earn course credits and stay on track. They can recover credits, and we just keep them learning.”

Like traditional school, the juveniles are required to attend class, but some of the students are separated depending on the crime they committed and if they’re permitted to be around others. They focus on all the basic subjects, plus life skills like managing finances.

The program falls under alternative education for “delinquent and neglected” children and a grant funds supplies and equipment such as Chromebooks. The students also have access to the internet.

Escambia County Jail Commander Scott Nash has been working with the school district for years to provide education for juveniles in jail, as well as adults. He said it’s a win-win for the inmates and the county.

“Every program we run is to help stop them from coming back here and give them options in their lives, ones they haven’t exercised before,” said Nash. “We don’t know until they go to court where they’re going to end up. Some of them may end up back in society so we give them an opportunity. A lot of these kids haven’t been in school anyway, but if they were in school before they graduated, they just continue from there, and it doesn’t take us very long to get them into the program once they’re brought into the facility.”

Coots says cooperation between the district, county and jail administrators has made a big difference.

“I think everyone has to buy into it, the jail staff has to buy into it, you have to have the right teacher over there who can motivate,” said Coots. “It's the people that are involved who make the difference. It's important for those kids to continue. It's non-judgmental. We don't care about what got you here. We've got books for you to take back to your cell, we've got lessons. This is what we're here to do and that's to provide school for you, and a place where you can learn.”

Students have earned their high school diploma while behind bars and the jail also partners with GED instructors. There are currently 64 people enrolled in the GED program and so far this year, eight teens have earned the high school equivalency diploma. Last year, it was 15.

While the district encourages juvenile students to purse a traditional diploma, they celebrate each success regardless of how they finish their schooling.

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Most studies have found that higher graduation rates are generally associated with positive public safety outcomes and lower crime rates for communities. States with higher levels of educational attainment also have crime rates lower than the national average.

A recent study by the University of Michigan found that investing more in public education early in children’s lives can reduce adult crime.

“While many policies focus on the crime-deterring effects of additional policing or tougher criminal justice sanctions, our findings highlight that early investments in children’s lives can prevent contact with the adult criminal justice system,” the researchers say in the study. “Specifically, our results show that improving public schools can keep children on a path of increased school engagement and completion, thereby lowering their criminal propensity in adulthood.”

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The Department of Juvenile Justice has recognized the Escambia County School District’s successes in teaching other alternative students. For the past two years, Escambia Boys' Base and PACE Center for Girls have both been deemed "Commendable" for the 2022-2023 school year. DJJ’s highest accountability rating is based on graduation rate, grade advancement, qualified teachers and attendance.

Coots says they pour the same commitment into kids at the jail. Sometimes they have two students, sometimes it’s 22, but regardless of how many are there, they want to see them all succeed.

“It absolutely does give them hope,” said Coots, “and you see that when you visit the classroom. They’re engaged and I've seen them transform. They'll start coming in and when they're first in there, they're mad, they don't want to be there. Then the teacher is able to reach them, and they can't wait to get there. It's obviously the best part of their day to have that interaction and know that somebody cares about them.”