(a) Commencing July 1, 2021, there is in the California Health and Human Services Agency the Office of Youth and Community Restoration. (b) The officeâs mission is to promote trauma responsive, culturally informed services for youth involved in the juvenile justice system that support the youthsâ successful transition into adulthood and help them become responsible, thriving, and engaged members of their communities. (c) The office shall have the responsibility and authority to do all of the following: (1) Once data becomes available as a result of the plan developed to Section 13015 of the Penal Code, develop a report on youth outcomes in the juvenile justice system. (2) Identify policy recommendations for improved outcomes and integrated programs and services to best support delinquent youth. (3) Identify and disseminate best practices to help inform rehabilitative and restorative youth practices, including education, diversion, re-entry, religious and victimsâ services. (4) Provide technical assistance as requested to develop and expand local youth diversion opportunities to meet the varied needs of the delinquent youth population, including but not limited to sex offender, substance abuse, and mental health treatment. (5) Report annually on the work of the Office of Youth and Community Restoration. (6) (A) Develop an annual report on chronic absenteeism rates in juvenile court schools at juvenile facilities. The office may work with the State Department of Education and county offices of education to include data for all juvenile court schools. (B) Subject to available funding, investigate the reasons for absenteeism at juvenile court schools with chronic absenteeism rates of 15 percent or more, including, but not limited to, an investigation of whether the juvenile facility has provided sufficient staff to support transportation and access to educational services and whether policies or practices have been implemented that withhold educational services from youth as a means of individual or group punishment. The office shall include a summary of the findings of any investigation it conducts in the annual report. (C) Subject to available funding, if, after an investigation, the office determines that insufficient staff, transportation, punitive policies, or any policies under the juvenile facilityâs control are contributing to chronic absenteeism rates, provide technical assistance to ameliorate the identified causes of the chronic absenteeism. (d) The office shall have an ombudsperson, who has the authority to do all of the following: (1) Investigate complaints from youth. (2) Decide, in its discretion, whether to investigate complaints from youth who are detained in the, or committed to, juvenile facilities, families, staff, and others about harmful conditions or practices, violations of laws and regulations governing facilities, and circumstances presenting an emergency situation, or refer complaints to another body for investigation. (3) Publish and provide regular reports to the Legislature about complaints received and subsequent findings and actions taken, pursuant to Section 2200.5. (4) Have access to, review, and receive and make copies of any record of a local agency, and contractors with local agencies, including, but not limited to, all juvenile facility records, at all times, except personnel records legally required to be kept confidential. Access to records shall be in accordance with existing law and rules of court governing juvenile confidentiality and all other applicable laws. (5) Meet or communicate privately with any youth, personnel, or volunteer in a juvenile facility and premises within the control of a county or local agency, or a contractor with a county or local agency, and may interview any relevant witnesses. The ombudsperson may interview sworn probation personnel in accordance with applicable federal and state law, local probation department policies, and collective bargaining agreeme
‹ Prev All California sections Next ›
Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.