Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: John T. Keene, Chief Probation Officer
Subject: Approve the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice Realignment Plan
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution accepting the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice Realignment Plan.
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BACKGROUND:
On September 30, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 823, Juvenile justice realignment: Office of Youth and Community Restoration, setting into motion the phase-out of California’s State Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and establishing a system in which justice-involved youth will receive treatment and services closer to their families and communities.
Under SB 823, the state shall halt all transfers of youth from California’s counties to the DJJ’s three remaining youth facilities, commencing July 1, 2021. Youth who previously would have been sent to the state facilities will instead remain in local settings closer to their families and communities.
To provide oversight of this juvenile justice realignment, the law creates the Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR) within the California Health and Human Services Agency. Among other things, the OYCR shall evaluate the efficacy local programs for the realigned youth and provide approval of juvenile grants awarded to counties by the Board of State and Community Corrections.
Additionally, SB823 creates a Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant program to provide annual funding to the state’s counties to finance the new system of county-based custody, care and supervision of youth who otherwise would have been eligible for DJJ commitment. Counties can receive funding to meet the needs of youth by providing and implementing public health approaches to support positive youth development, building the capacity of a continuum of community-based approaches, and reducing crime by youth. SB823 also provides for one-time grants to counties for the purpose of providing resources for infrastructure-related needs and improvements to assist counties in the development of a local continuum of care.
To be eligible for Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant funding, the bill requires counties to create a subcommittee of the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC) to develop a plan describing the facilities, programs, placements, services, supervision and reentry strategies needed to provide appropriate rehabilitative and supervision services to youth who are eligible for commitment to DJJ prior to its closure and/or are adjudicated to be a ward of the juvenile court based on an offense described in subdivision (b) of Section 707 or on offense described in Section 290.008 of the Penal Code.
Pursuant to SB823, the subcommittee shall be chaired by the chief probation officer and composed of representatives from the district attorney’s office, the public defender’s office, the department of social services, the department of mental health, the county office of education, and the court. The subcommittee shall also include no fewer than three community members who shall be defined as individuals who have experience providing community-based youth services, youth justice advocates with expertise and knowledge of the juvenile justice system or have been directly involved in the juvenile justice system.
DISCUSSION:
In response to SB823, the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council in November 2020 established the DJJ realignment subcommittee, which developed the proposed San Mateo County Juvenile Justice Realignment Plan.
The plan provides trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate programs and services for local youth, as well as potential partnerships with other bay area counties. It also outlines specialty programs, resources and services from existing community-based organizations (CBOs), and county partners with an emphasis on family reunification and successful community reentry. Reflecting the collaborative efforts of the DJJ realignment subcommittee members, the plan includes key implementation and supervision strategies intended to address the needs of the targeted realigned populations through a multi-disciplinary case management approach, from in-custody care to reentry and community supervision.
Approval of the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice Realignment Plan will allow the County to qualify for Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant funding under SB823 to finance the new system of county-based custody, care and supervision of youth offenders who are realigned from DJJ.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Costs associated with this plan will be funded by the SB823 grants and will be included in the FY 2021-22 through FY 2022-23 budgets.