By Jeremy Loudenback, The Imprint, August 31, 2020
Over the objections of county governments and local probation agencies, the California Legislature has reached an agreement with Gov. Gavin Newsom to phase out the state’s youth prison system, while raising the age to 25 for some youth to remain in the juvenile justice system.
Under the terms of a deal reached on Friday night, beginning on July 1 of next year, the state will stop accepting the majority of youth offenders who are found to have committed the most serious and violent crimes into the three Division of Juvenile Justice facilities. Local governments, in turn, will refashion their detention centers and programming to accommodate the hundreds of detained youth offenders who will serve time closer to their homes, families and communities, according to the agreement.
The plan allows for one glaring exception. For the near future, the state’s juvenile facilities in San Joaquin and Ventura counties will remain open for youth who are at risk of prosecution as adults. Thus, there is still no final date for the youth prison system to entirely shut down.
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