Department of Juvenile Justice outlines facilities, caseloads, mental-health and reentry services

Department of Juvenile Justice leadership told the Judiciary — Juvenile committee that DJJ’s mission is to provide rehabilitative, evidence-based services and supervision to youth and families while fostering public safety.

Margaret Caywood, representing DJJ leadership, and Commissioner Shawanda Reynolds Cobb provided a systems overview: DJJ operates 19 secure detention centers, six long-term youth development centers (YDCs), and approximately 78 community offices aligned with judicial circuits, and it runs the state’s juvenile detention and most juvenile corrections services. The presenters said DJJ is a state-run juvenile system operating under the Georgia Code.

Caywood said the department had 9,492 active youth under community supervision in FY24, with older adolescents (including those 17 and older) comprising the largest age category. DJJ reported total detention bed capacity of about 1,100 for regional detention centers with an average daily population (ADP) near 915; YDC bed capacity is about 301 with an ADP around 191 for FY24. The agency said bed capacity can change when living units are taken offline for renovations.

DJJ described its classification, intake and detention-assessment processes: local juvenile intake and law enforcement assess risk and determine detention; juvenile court judges develop local procedures that guide detention decisions. For committed youth, court orders determine the length of stay in secure confinement and the department’s classification unit assigns placements.

The presenters emphasized mental-health and substance-use needs among the DJJ population. Caywood said about 56% of youth carried a substance-related diagnosis on the FY24 mental-health caseload; depression and trauma-related diagnoses were also common. She said an estimated 37% of youth in regional youth detention centers and about 73% of youth in YDCs were on the mental-health caseload, and that roughly 29% of students enrolled in DJJ schools qualified for special education services.

DJJ described educational and reentry services provided in facilities. The agency operates on-site schools accredited by Cognia, offers GED and career-technical pathways, and begins transition planning within 60 days for youth in YDCs. Reentry supports include obtaining identification, birth certificates and job-placement assistance; DJJ also partners with other state agencies, businesses and nonprofits for employment and housing supports.

Committee members asked about comparability to adult detention conditions, drivers of increased aggressive behavior among youth and service availability in communities. DJJ leaders said Georgia’s juvenile system houses fewer youth than the adult system, which affects capacity and operations, and they noted workforce challenges in recruiting and retaining psychologists and psychiatrists. The department said reforms since 2014 increased investment in evidence-based community services (for example, functional family therapy and multisystemic therapy), and that those programs contributed to declines in out-of-home placements since reform in 2012.

The presentation concluded with an offer to provide committee members additional data on bed utilization, regional case origins and detailed mental-health and special-education statistics upon request. Committee leadership said judges will brief the committee at a later meeting about court-related issues.