Despite the well-publicized harms of prisonlike institutions for youth, there are few states like Illinois or New York that endow nongovernmental watchdog groups with the authority to inspect facilities. Some states have failed to establish even a credible governmental monitor of their youth system.
California, with its long history of institutional abuses, is notable for its lack of dedicated independent monitoring. From 2004 to 2016, the state’s Division of Juvenile Justice was subject to a consent decree that brought years of court scrutiny and regular inspections by a special master. Yet, with the dismissal of the lawsuit, this check on institutional abuses abruptly ended, leaving an accountability vacuum and far less public information about facility operations, youth outcomes and safety.
Today, a patchwork of agencies offers the illusion of comprehensive oversight in California, while failing to hold its youth facilities to account. For example, the Office of the Inspector General, the Little Hoover Commission and the Board of State and Community Corrections, which are often cited as monitors of the youth justice system, are fairly circumscribed in their authority, with none directly responsible for overseeing the Division of Juvenile Justice.
Moreover, California’s Office of the Ombudsman, which responds to youth and family complaints, is contained within the organizational hierarchy of the prison system — in violation of national and international standards recommending that an ombudsperson be autonomous and free of administrative control. Importantly, California has no designated nongovernmental organization with the authority to inspect facilities and issue reports.
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