AB 953

This bill requires the state to close the Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake

School by July 1, 2020, requires the Department of Corrections to establish new Type

1 juvenile correctional facilities, and authorizes counties to establish secured

residential care centers for children and youth. Once the secured residential care

centers for children and youth are established, the bill transfers the supervision of

a juvenile under a correctional placement to the county department of human

services or social services (county department) of the county in which the juvenile

was adjudicated delinquent. The bill creates a council to study juvenile corrections

issues and a grant program under which counties may apply for state funding of 95

percent of the cost of establishing or constructing secured residential care centers for

children and youth. The bill also expands the authorized uses of youth aids for

program costs in juvenile detention facilities and secured residential care centers for

children and youth.

New facilities for juveniles.

Under current law, DOC oversees all juvenile correctional services for juveniles

who are under original adult court jurisdiction or who have been adjudged

delinquent under the Juvenile Justice Code, placed under the supervision of DOC,

and placed in a juvenile correctional facility, in the Serious Juvenile Offender

Program (SJOP), or under community supervision. Under the bill, DOC maintains

supervision over juveniles in SJOP, under community supervision, and under

original adult court jurisdiction, but supervision over juveniles who are under any

other correctional placement under the Juvenile Justice Code is transferred to

county departments.

Under the bill, no later than July 1, 2020, the county board of supervisors of a

county is required to ensure there is sufficient space in a secured residential care

center for children and youth for all juveniles adjudicated delinquent by the county's

circuit court and placed in a secured residential care center for children and youth.

The bill authorizes a county to establish, or contract with a child welfare agency to

establish, a secured residential care center for children and youth, on its own or

jointly with one or more counties, or to contract with another county to place

juveniles in that county's secured residential care center for children and youth. In

addition, as in current law, the bill allows a child welfare agency to be licensed to

operate a secured residential care center for children and youth. Also by July 1, 2020,

the bill requires DOC to construct or establish one or more Type 1 juvenile

correctional facilities with sufficient space for all juveniles placed in a Type 1 juvenile

correctional facility.

The bill creates a Juvenile Corrections Study Committee, which is required to

research and develop recommendations on all of the following:

1. Optimal locations for the new Type 1 juvenile correctional facilities based on

space and security needs, cost, proximity to the populations of juveniles the facilities