Vice Chair Huber Levy presented a San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission inspection of the Maguire Correctional Facility on Nov. 18, reporting that a Secure Youth Treatment Facility (SYTF) youth housed at the adult county jail received no verifiable Individual Rehabilitation Plan (IRP) programming during the review period.

"There was verifiable, not 1 hour of programming," Vice Chair Huber Levy said in the presentation of the inspection findings, which documented frequent 23‑hour lockdowns, punitive sanctions including 10 days in isolation, and repeated loss of telephone, tablet and commissary privileges. The report said mental‑health contacts were limited to brief conversations through cell doors and that parent visitation was frequently canceled because elevators were inoperable.

The commission’s report listed specific harms and concrete recommendations: restore all IRP programming and quarterly multidisciplinary team reviews; discontinue sanctions at the county jail that would be prohibited in an SYTF (including prolonged solitary confinement and removal of visits); eliminate communication fees or barriers that prevent family contact; improve transfer‑notification processes so families and probation officers are promptly informed when a youth is moved to the jail; and ensure probation officers regularly check in on a transferred youth.

Commissioners raised concerns during discussion about the effect of jail conditions on rehabilitation. Commissioner Bocanegra described interviews with people who had been in the facility and said the jail’s current mail and tablet practices and exposure to contraband risk deepening criminal thinking rather than supporting treatment. Public commenter Daria Larizadeh of the National Center for Youth Law added that transition‑age youth (ages 18–21+) across county facilities likewise face inadequate programming and restricted family access.

The inspection highlights how SB 823 (which closed state juvenile prisons and shifted responsibility to counties) has created new operational questions when youth under juvenile court jurisdiction are also involved in adult cases. The report noted legal complexities surrounding transfers and said some questions may require court clarification or case law before final policy changes are implemented.

The commission voted to approve the Maguire Correctional Facility inspection report and its recommendations unanimously. The report will be forwarded to the probation and sheriff’s departments for follow‑up; commissioners requested updates on implementation and said the commission will revisit the issue in future inspections.

Next steps: the commission asked staff to send the report to the Independent Civilian Oversight Commission and to work with probation and sheriff leadership to develop an implementation timeline for the recommendations. The commission plans to monitor responses and revisit the matter in the coming year.