Major California report urges doing away with juve prisons

The Little Hoover Commission recently released a major report with recommendations for improving juvenile justice in California. The report, titled "Juvenile Justice Reform: Realigning Responsibilities," can be accessed here. This official press release, which provides an effective summary of the report, begins this way:

The Little Hoover Commission on Monday urged the governor and the Legislature to lay the groundwork for the creation of county-run, state-funded, regional rehabilitative facilities for high-risk, high-need juvenile offenders and for the eventual elimination of state juvenile justice operations.

In its report, Juvenile Justice Reform: Realigning Responsibilities, the Commission recommends streamlining and consolidating the state’s juvenile justice operations into an Office of Juvenile Justice. The new office should be outside the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and would combine the activities of the chief deputy secretary of juvenile justice as well as juvenile justice grants administration and oversight now done by the Corrections Standards Authority.

Media coverage of this report has been focused on the call to eliminate juve prisons:

• From the AP here, "Report Says California Should End Juvenile Prisons"
• From the Sacramento Bee here, "So Long Juvenile Prisons"