Gov. Newsom announces plans to end juvenile imprisonment
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his intention to remove the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) from the California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation — a move that would mean “the beginning of the end of juvenile imprisonment as we know it,” according to Gov. Newsom.
Newsom expressed hopes to transform the juvenile justice system by ending youth imprisonment and switching control of detention programs from corrections to health and human services.
The reform comes in part of the governor’s broader “California for All” agenda in expanding access to opportunity to all Californians and assisting youth reform the DJJ.
According to a press release, Gov. Newsom has proposed to match 2 million dollars in federal grant money to assist youth programs and screenings for adverse childhood experiences, early childhood trauma and developmental screenings — including early intervention programs that steer kids away from the criminal justice system.
The Riverside County Probation Department told News Channel 3 in a statement their operations should not be impacted because they work at the county level, not the state level.
In a statement, “We don’t anticipate any impact to our operations, as this will impact state operations. Chief Probation Officers of California will have further discussions with the administration,” said public information specialist for the probation department Kevin Slusarski.
Chief Probation Officers of California, a group which lobbies for California’s probation chiefs, is one organization that publicly expressed some concerns for the governor’s proposal.
