ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell held a news conference in Orlando on Tuesday to update the community on her office’s first-quarter progress and outline new efforts targeting youth violence.
Worrell reported a 72% overall conviction rate for the first quarter of 2026.
“This data reflects the hard work of our attorneys and staff to deliver justice, and also the stability that we’re continuing to build within the office,” Worrell said.
According to Worrell, her office recorded an 80% conviction rate on property crimes and 79% on violent crimes during the first quarter. Narcotics cases saw a 37% conviction rate.
Worrell also noted that her office is still not receiving $500,000 in federal victim advocate funding, which she said is being blocked by the state attorney general. She said her office has declined to sign an agreement requiring a caseload deliverable of 1,000 child abuse and neglect cases — a number she said does not reflect reality, given that her office received only 271 such cases in all of 2025.
‘Missing Middle’ juvenile justice initiative
During the news conference, Worrell announced the launch of the Missing Middle Youth Initiative, a community-driven task force aimed at identifying gaps between juvenile prevention and prosecution.
“The Missing Middle Youth Initiative convenes community leaders, system partners, and stakeholders to address critical gaps in the continuum between prevention and prosecution,” Worrell said.
The task force is expected to develop legislative recommendations ahead of the next legislative session and will include subcommittees focused on youth violent crime trends, law enforcement challenges, and Department of Juvenile Justice reform.
Worrell pointed to a concerning trend in juvenile felonies: while the total number of juvenile cases dropped from roughly 6,500 in 2010 to about 2,500 in 2025, the share involving felonies remained high — about 1,500 felonies out of 6,500 cases in 2010 versus roughly 1,000 felonies out of 2,500 cases in 2025.