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State juvenile-justice office proposes new realignment formula; lawmakers press for spending transparency
Summary
The Office of Youth and Community Restoration told the Senate subcommittee it plans to revise the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant formula to steer funding away from a static DJJ-based factor and toward counts of adjudicated youth, the youth population, and youth moved into less restrictive programs — a change officials said is designed to support alternatives to long-term incarceration.
The Office of Youth and Community Restoration told the Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services on Wednesday that it plans to revise the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant (JJRBG) formula to shift funding toward “less restrictive programs” and away from a static 2018 Department of Juvenile Justice count.
The change, OYCR Director Catherine Lucero said, replaces the old DJJ-based factor with measures that count youth ages 10–17, youth adjudicated for Penal Code section 707(b) offenses, and youth who move from secure youth treatment facilities (SYTFs) into less restrictive programs (LRPs). "The new factor... does move the infrastructure towards alternatives to long term incarceration when it is safe for the community and in the best interest of the youth," Lucero said.
The proposal is intended to implement the reforms of SB 823 by steering funds toward community-based alternatives and creating incentives for stepping youth down from secure settings. Deputy Director Alani Jackson told the committee OYCR has invested $15 million in grants to 11 counties to help build LRPs and described a broad set of OYCR programs, including educational initiatives, workforce development for justice-impacted youth, and an ombuds division that handled 296 complaints in 2024.
Why it matters: Senators repeatedly warned that changing the allocation formula…
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