Here in California, the juvenile justice system has impacted everyone at some time on some level. For any person who has ever been, or been close to a victim of juvenile crime, the impact has been felt on an emotional level. For any juvenile offender, or any relative of one, the impact has been felt at a life-changing level. For any law enforcement official, public policy legislator or juvenile corrections facilitator, the impact has been felt on a professional level. And yes, even for those who have avoided the juvenile justice system in the aforementioned ways, any person who resides in the state and pays taxes has felt the impact on a financial and social level.
In recent years, the juvenile justice system in California has gone through some changes in its management and organization structure. In 2005, the California Youth Authority (CYA) fell under the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and became the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Currently, DJJ administers the six juvenile correctional facilities within the state while operating under a yearly budget of $383,105,473 [1]. As of March 31, 2009, DJJ houses 1, 637 wards [2] at an estimated cost of approximately $234,029 per ward [3]. This cost is financially burdensome on the state’s budget. As the population of DJJ has declined 83% since its 1996 peak in-custody population of 9, 772 [4], some have questioned the possibility of closing all of the juvenile correctional facilities and transferring the remaining wards to county facilities. Coupled with the fact that DJJ is currently operating under a consent decree following a court finding of abusive conditions, systemic mismanagement, and ineffectual services [5], the future of DJJ remains in question. Given the current grave conditions of the state budget and decline in DJJ population, further study of DJJ is an important and necessary venture.
In recent years, the juvenile justice system in California has gone through some changes in its management and organization structure. In 2005, the California Youth Authority (CYA) fell under the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and became the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Currently, DJJ administers the six juvenile correctional facilities within the state while operating under a yearly budget of $383,105,473 [1]. As of March 31, 2009, DJJ houses 1, 637 wards [2] at an estimated cost of approximately $234,029 per ward [3]. This cost is financially burdensome on the state’s budget. As the population of DJJ has declined 83% since its 1996 peak in-custody population of 9, 772 [4], some have questioned the possibility of closing all of the juvenile correctional facilities and transferring the remaining wards to county facilities. Coupled with the fact that DJJ is currently operating under a consent decree following a court finding of abusive conditions, systemic mismanagement, and ineffectual services [5], the future of DJJ remains in question. Given the current grave conditions of the state budget and decline in DJJ population, further study of DJJ is an important and necessary venture.
Sources:
[1], [4] Macallair, D., Males, M., & McCracken, C. (May 2009). Legislative Policy Study. Closing California’s Division of Juvenile Facilities: An Analysis of County Institutional Capacity, 1-25. San Francisco, CA: Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. http://www.cjcj.org/files/closing_californias_DJF.pdf
[2] Division of Juvenile Justice (2009) Characteristics of Population. December 2008. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Reports _Research/docs/Dec2008-Characteristics.pdf
[3] Department of Finance. (2009) Corrections and Rehabilitation. 5225 Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Budget 2009-10. Sacramento, CA: State of California, Department of Finance.
[5] Farrell v. Cate (formally Farrell v. Allen), Case No. RG 03079344 (filed in Cal. Sup. Ct. 2004), County of Alameda. Consent decree issued 2004. Court order issued 2008.
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