CSAC has created a Juvenile Hall Utilization Work Group to
discuss the use of local juvenile detention facility beds
throughout California, as juvenile justice has undergone a
variety of reforms in the past decade.
The CSAC working group is comprised of County Supervisors, County
Administrative/Executive Officers and Chief Probation Officers
that represent rural, suburban and urban counties. Members
of the group, in consultation with juvenile justice experts, have
met monthly since March to discuss topics including policy
trends in juvenile justice, the juvenile court process, juvenile
hall regulatory requirements and the implications of state
juvenile bond funding.
County probation departments throughout California have focused
on rehabilitation efforts aimed at keeping youth out of local
juvenile detention facilities. These efforts have led to a
drastically lower juvenile offender population and an increase in
the number of vacant beds in local juvenile detention
facilities. In fact, according to data provided to the Board
of State and Community Corrections, in August 2018 there were
over 5,000 vacant juvenile hall beds across the state. These
vacancies have led a number of counties to contemplate different
uses for these beds.
The working group members will continue to meet monthly and will
be presenting a report and a tool-kit to the Administration of
Justice Policy Committee during the CSAC annual conference. This
report will include comprehensive information about the
history of California’s juvenile justice system, legislative
changes that have impacted the juvenile offender population, and
juvenile justice programming, as well as options for how
counties can move forward in this area.
