CA SB823

Closes the state Division of Juvenile Justice effective July 1, 2021, by prohibiting new commitments of youth to state facilities and transferring responsibility to counties for housing and supervising realigned youth.

Establishes the Office of Youth and Community Restoration within the California Health and Human Services Agency to oversee the transition, provide technical assistance to counties, and evaluate local youth programs.

Creates the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant program appropriating $39.9 million for fiscal year 2021-22, escalating to $208.8 million annually by 2024-25, distributed to counties based on prior Division of Juvenile Justice population, violent crime adjudications, and youth population demographics.

Reduces juvenile court jurisdiction from age 25 to age 23 for most youth, except those facing aggregate criminal sentences of 7 years or more who remain under jurisdiction until age 25; requires youth whose cases originated in juvenile court to remain in county juvenile facilities until age 25.

Requires the Department of Justice to submit a plan by January 1, 2023 for replacing the Juvenile Court and Probation Statistical System with a modern database and reporting system; appropriates $9.6 million for county infrastructure grants to develop local youth services continuum.