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DCYF proposes multiple juvenile rehabilitation reforms, capacity and staffing requests
Summary
DCYF submitted agency-request legislation and decision packages that would change complaint handling in juvenile rehabilitation, ease placement barriers, exempt body-scanner images from public disclosure, and fund staff and expanded capacity at juvenile facilities, including a smaller 16-bed treatment facility and IT upgrades.
DCYF described a package of juvenile rehabilitation (JR) proposals intended to ease overcrowding, improve safety and rehabilitative services, and align complaint processes across divisions.
Julie Watts, deputy director for government affairs, said one bill would authorize DCYF’s constituent relations division to receive and process complaints in the juvenile rehabilitation system, matching the process used in child welfare. That bill carries no direct cost in the department’s submission.
Another bill would create a case-by-case review process to allow people with prior justice involvement to be considered for employment or volunteer positions in JR, rather than automatic disqualification. The proposal would also remove some out-of-state background-check fees to reduce financial delays; the bill is described as enabling discretion, not a blanket allowance to hire formerly justice-involved people.
DCYF also asked for a statutory public-records exemption for body-scanner images used in JR facilities to protect resident privacy; officials said the change would mirror exemptions held by the Department of Corrections and detention centers.
Placement, capacity and safety: Watts described a bill to allow the agency to define “safe capacity” at each secure JR facility, provide additional community-placement options for appropriate youth, and give DCYF statutory authority to respond to overcrowding conditions so campus safety and programming can be maintained. The agency submitted a related decision package request of $1,900,000 to support implementation of that proposal.
Staffing and capital requests: DCYF proposed a JR staffing-model decision package to hire 102 full-time equivalents by June 2027, including 69 additional JR officers at Green Hill School and 16 at Echo Glen to improve coverage (requesting $12,000,000 in the 2023–25 biennium). The department said removing JR counselors from custody-floor duties would allow those counselors to focus on case management and treatment with adequate officer staffing.
DCYF also proposed purchasing and operating a smaller, 16-bed residential treatment facility (Parkland) to serve youth with acute mental-health needs. The request includes a $3,000,000 capital ask to purchase the facility and a $4,900,000 operations/staffing request to open the medium-security unit, with an estimated opening by April 2027 contingent on purchase and security improvements.
Information systems and communications: Officials said the aging ACT (automated client tracking) system needs replacement or substantial upgrades to meet new reporting and coordinated-care requirements. DCYF requested $5,700,000 and 11.4 FTE starting July 2026 for feasibility planning, replacement work, and to buy secure communications devices for residents to access family, counsel and telehealth securely.
All JR legislation and decision-package requests were submitted to the governor’s office for consideration; implementation would require appropriation and, for statutory changes, legislative approval.
