23-532 Local Jurisdictions to be Responsible for Managing All Youth Offenders

Date: 06/12/23

Effective July 1, 2023, claims for health care services rendered to the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) youth should be directed to the county where the patient is located.

Juvenile offenders no longer committed to DJJ

Under Senate Bill 823 (SB 823), chapter 337 (statutes of 2020), juvenile offenders cannot be committed to the DJJ after July 1, 2021 unless a youth who is otherwise eligible to be committed under existing law and in whose case a motion to transfer the minor from juvenile court to a court of criminal jurisdiction was filed. Senate Bill 92 (SB 92) sets a defined closure date of June 30, 2023, for all DJJ facilities.

Claims for services rendered on or prior to June 30, 2023, will continue to be the responsibility of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

DJJ closing its facilities

Realignment transfers responsibility for managing all youth offenders from the state to local jurisdictions. The DJJ has begun the phased closure of its facilities. Several factors drive the decision to close DJJ facilities, including attrition trends, categories of juvenile offenders, and available staffing and program resources.

The Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp in Amador County will remain open through a state-local partnership, via contractual arrangement, to train justice-involved youth in wildland firefighting skills.

New California Health & Human Services Agency office to promote youth services

Supporting the transition of justice involving youth being served in local communities, the Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR), operating within the California Health & Human Services Agency, will promote a youth continuum of services that are trauma responsive and culturally informed. The OYCR will use public health approaches that support positive youth development, build the capacity of community-based approaches, and reduce the justice involvement of youth.

For more information on services, regional and county plans, block grants, and other resources, go to Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR).

 

This information applies to Physicians, Participating Physician Groups (PPGs), Hospitals, and Ancillary providers.