BSCC Finds LA Juvenile Halls “Unsuitable” in Historic First

The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC), found Los Angeles juvenile halls unsuitable to house young people at its September 16, 2021 meeting.  In a unanimous vote, the Board gave the county 60 days from October 1, 2021, to either remediate the violations or remove young people from the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall …

COVID-19 and California’s Detained Youth: Vulnerable and Overlooked

Recently, PJDC’s Policy Director Sue Burrell, along with her frequent collaborator, Shannan Wilber of the National Center of Lesbian Rights, responded to UC Berkeley California Journal of Politics and Policy’s call for articles for in its special issue on COVID-19. The resulting article, “COVID-19 and California’s Detained Youth: Vulnerable and Overlooked,” chronicles the

PJDC/YLC Call for Rethinking Juvenile Hall Commitments

PJDC/YLC Call for Rethinking Juvenile Hall Commitments

As California prepares to shutter its state juvenile facility system it is critically important for counties to carefully consider how they will serve youth who previously would have been committed to the Division of Juvenile Justice. On November 12, 2020, the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center (PJDC) and Youth …

PJDC celebrates two legislative milestones: SB 823 and SB 203

On September 30, 2020 Governor Gavin Newsom signed two measures that will have lifechanging consequences for young people in the youth justice system.

First, SB 823, sets into motion the closure of California’s State Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and creates a system in which youth will be served in the counties. This will usher …

Registration Now Open For The 2020 Roundtable

Registration is now open for PJDC’s 17th annual Roundtable on Friday, September 25th (5:00 to 7:00 p.m.) and Saturday, September 26th (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) on Zoom. (A copy of the flyer is available here.)

On Friday, September 25th, join us for virtual happy hour and conversation on juvenile hall closures led by …

PJDC Stands With Solano County Defender’s Free Speech Rights

Solano County Deputy Alternate Public Defender Shelly Saini  compassionately advocates for her indigent clients, who are predominantly people of color.  In the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Willie McCoy, Sean Monterrosa, and so many others, Ms. Saini, a woman of South Asian descent, decided to stand in solidarity with …

Available for Download: Model Covid-19 Population Reduction Protocol for Secure Juvenile Facilities

Pacific Juvenile Defender Center, Human Rights Watch and National Center for Lesbian Rights have developed a model protocol for counties to reduce youth populations in their secure juvenile facilities during the Covid-19 Pandemic.  It provides guidance for intake and release, and proposes an interagency process for decision making.  To download your own copy, click on …

Información Para Familias Con Jóvenes Confinados En Juvenile Hall O En Campamentos Del Condado Durante La Pandemia COVID-19

Los expertos en salud advierten que los lugares congregados colocan a todas las personas en un riesgo sustancial de enfermedad y muerte, y declaran que reducir inmediatamente la cantidad de personas alojadas en los centros de detención es críticamente necesario para la salud y la seguridad de estos lugares y de nuestras comunidades. Los jóvenes …

Information For Families With Children Confined in Juvenile Hall or County Camps During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Health experts warn that congregate settings place all people at substantial risk of illness and death, and declare that reducing the number of people housed in detention facilities immediately is critically necessary for the health and safety of those facilities and our communities.  Children confined in juvenile halls and camps in California are also at