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In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation to close California's youth prison system: the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Counties are now responsible for supporting the needs of young people who were previously eligible for DJJ commitments: young people with sustained charges for the most serious offenses.

In passing this major reform, the legislature cited evidence that when youth remain connected to their families and communities, they are more successful, they have lower recidivism rates, and they are more prepared for their transition back into the community.

This shift of responsibilities and funding from the state to the counties is called “DJJ Realignment."

DJJ Realignment reforms

Judges can no longer commit youth to the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) as of July 1, 2021. It is now up to the counties to provide custody, care, and supervision for this group of young people.

The DJJ Realignment target population includes young people who are:

• Age 14 to 25
• Found by the Juvenile Delinquency Court to have committed a serious offense, defined as:
  • WIC 707(b) offenses, including murder, attempted murder, arson, robbery, rape, kidnapping, assault by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, and several other serious and/or violent acts.
  • PC 290.008 offenses, a range of sex offenses that require registration as a sex offender.

Starting July 1, 2021, the court may send eligible young people to a Secure Youth Treatment Facility (SYTF). An SYTF is a locked residential county facility that provides programming, treatment, and education.

In San Francisco, the DJJ Realignment target population consists mostly of youth living in the community who have been placed on probation or in out of home placement. It also includes a small number of young people ​​​ordered to a Secure Youth Treatment Facility.

As part of DJJ Realignment, each county must form a subcommittee of their local Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council.

The subcommittee must:

• Create a plan for how the county will provide care for the realignment population
• Submit the plan for approval to the new state Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR)

This plan makes the county eligible for state funding called the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant (JJRBG). To continue receiving state funding, the subcommittee must meet at least every 3 years to review the county's plan. Every year, the subcommittee must submit the plan to the Office of Youth and Community Restoration by May 1, regardless of changes to the plan.

In addition to the 10 statutorily required seats, San Francisco’s DJJ Realignment Subcommittee includes 5 additional members—resulting in a total of 9 community members and youth justice advocates on the subcommittee. Two of the members have lived experience in secure juvenile facilities. The Chief Probation Officer of the Juvenile Probation Department chairs the subcommittee.