Starting on July 1, 2021, the state will begin to phase out the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and will halt most youth admissions to its facilities. As of July 2021, youth who would previously have been committed to a state DJJ facility will largely remain in their local communities under the care and custody of the local Probation Department. Recently enacted SB 823 and AB 1868 govern the phased closure of DJJ and provide resources to counties for supervision and service delivery to youth involved in the local juvenile system. This legislation also creates a new funding stream under the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant program which will be administered through the Probation Department.  
  
As part of this juvenile realignment, the youth in the custody of the county's Probation Department will have regular court review hearings to evaluate their progress and consider their custodial status. There will be opportunities at each of these hearings to advocate for a "step down" option to a non-carceral setting. To achieve that goal, the public defender's office will need to develop a comprehensive reentry plan to present to the Court. The backbone of these litigation efforts, as well as other post-disposition representation efforts for this client population, will require the assistance of a specialized juvenile social worker to assist with client engagement, case planning, and reentry. This position will be funded by the DJJ Realignment Block Grant, which will be administered through the Probation Department.

If this action is not approved, the project could not proceed and juvenile clients under the care of the Probation Department will not receive the necessary supportive services for reentry to the community.