Status:

Enacted

Youth Justice

Closing California's State Youth Prisons (2020)

SB 823 / AB 1868

Location

California

In 2020, California enacted SB 823 / AB 1868, which phases the closure of California's Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and instead provides resources to counties for supervision and service delivery to youth in conflict with the law. SB 823/ AB 1868:

Ends intake into DJJ on July 1, 2020, except for cases where the youth may be tried in adult court
Creates a new state agency to provide oversight and accountability of the realigned system
Allocates $209 million in block grant funding to counties with reporting requirements
Raises the age of local jurisdiction and confinement to age 25 for serious cases
Requires the legislature to establish a new sentencing track for realigned population by March 2021

Our Success & Impact

Get up to date on our latest work - from litigation and policy wins to new reports, resources, events and more.

Success and Impact

California Enacts Historic Youth Justice Reforms; Closes Youth Prisons

Closes youth prisons, creates protections for sealing diversion records, ended excessive probation supervision for youth not charged with a crime, and...

Related Initiatives

Replace Harmful Punishment of Youth with Community-Based Supports

Research shows that the best way to ensure healthy outcomes for both youth and community is to stop harmful and traumatizing practices such as arrest and detention, and instead invest in comprehensive, community-based supports and services.

Related Cases

D.P. v. School Board of Palm Beach County

Police employed by the School District of Palm Beach County illegally use the Florida Mental Health Act, also known as the Baker Act, to subject hundreds of students each year to involuntary psychiatric examinations, without their parents' input, consent and, sometimes, over their objections.

Freeman v. County of Riverside

This lawsuit alleges Riverside County of illegally collecting juvenile administrative fees.

Sigma Beta XI v. County of Riverside

This lawsuit alleges that Riverside County, California, through its Probation office, targets, ensnares, and discriminates against children by stripping them of their constitutional rights.

Related Laws & Policy

See All Laws & Policy

End School-Based Ticketing (2024)

HB 3413 (Ford)

Ending the unjust practice of referring students to be ticketed for an incident that can be pursued through the school district’s discipline policy

Justice for Survivors (2024)

AB 2354 (Bonta)

AB 2354 is a crucial bill in California aimed at ensuring that all survivors of intimate partner violence, human trafficking, and other forms of violence can petition the court for vacatur relief,

Justice for Survivors (2023)

AB 1497 (Haney)

Creating meaningful pathways to justice for survivors of trauma, domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking who are funneled into our criminal legal system is important for their healing and care, and to stop the further criminalization of victims. Often survivors of survivors of