The State Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 823 as a part of the 2020 Budget to close the state-run youth correctional facilities managed by the California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The state decided to shift the responsibility for the care and treatment of these youth who otherwise would have been committed to DJJ by a juvenile court judge to the care of the county probation departments beginning July 1, 2021. At that time, DJJ stopped intake of youth with the temporary exception of a small subset of youth who might otherwise be transferred to adult criminal court. The legislation requires the state to completely shut down all of its youth correctional facilities by June 30, 2023.

The youth who were previously sent to a state-run youth correctional facility have been adjudicated for a serious or violent offense and often need specialized care in the form of sex offender treatment and/or complex mental health treatment. Under the new law, per Welfare and Institutions Code 875, these youth will be committed to a secure youth treatment facility (SYTF) operated by the local county or through contract with another county.

Since the passage of SB 823, there has been follow-up legislation (Senate Bill 92) that created a more detailed framework and process for juvenile courts to commit youth to secure youth treatment facilities. The state recognized in the implementing legislation that not all counties may have the appropriate treatment options for some of these youth, and, because of that, the legislation allows a county to contract with another county for placement in a secure youth treatment facility when a juvenile court judge determines such a commitment is necessary. The Consortium will help to facilitate these partnerships when needed.