News
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
Legislature Enacts “Secure” Track to Prevent Transfer to Adult Court
On May 14, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 92, creating a “Secure Youth Treatment Facilities” track for youth found to have committed serious offenses. This was one of the outstanding provisions remaining after SB 823 announced the closure of the state Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and the “realignment” of youth to the …
California Supreme Court Upholds Law Protecting 14–15-Year-Olds from Transfer to Adult Court
(San Francisco, CA – February 25, 2021) In a highly anticipated opinion filed in O.G. v. Superior Court today, the California Supreme Court unanimously upheld S.B. 1391 against challenges to its constitutionality. The measure, enacted in 2018, prohibits the transfer of 14 and 15-year-olds to the adult criminal system. The case was successfully argued by …
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 …
PJDC Condemns Santa Clara District Attorney Rosen’s Attack on Public Defender’s Free Speech Rights
On June 3, 2020, in the midst of national outrage over racial disparities and mistreatment of Black people in the justice system, Santa Clara County Alternate Public Defender Sajid Khan published a piece on his personal blog entitled, “be mad at the police, but be even madder at the DA’s offices that perpetuate and …