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JJAB hears that HB5 will require local restorative-justice committees and that DJJ has completed 61 mental-health assessments under HB3
Summary
Director Elzie Burgher told the board that HB5 mandates local Juvenile Restorative Justice Advisory Committees in every county but contains vague language and no dedicated funding; she also reported DJJ began required HB3 mental-health assessments on July 1 and has completed 61 assessments to date.
Director Elzie Burgher briefed the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board on two recently enacted bills and their operational implications for the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Burgher said HB5 increases penalties in the criminal code and includes a new requirement that DJJ establish local Juvenile Restorative Justice Advisory Committees in all counties. She told the board the statutory language is not specific about how the committees must be structured, that legal guidance and policy clarifications will be required, and that the mandate comes without dedicated state funding. Burgher said DJJ has begun internal policy review and is exploring grant options to support implementation, but that creating county-level committees will be a substantial expansion of duties and staffing needs.
On HB3, Burgher said DJJ began conducting mandated mental-health assessments for violent-felony juvenile offenders on July 1 and has completed 61 assessments so far; she added that those assessments have produced recommendations submitted to the courts. Burgher said the agency has not yet seen an increase in facility population tied to HB5 but cautioned that population effects can take months to materialize.
Burgher also reported that work on a youth re-entry manual has moved from an unofficial start to an official project after Commissioner White prioritized re-entry and assigned permanent staff; no completion date was set. Chair Eric Hawkins requested a process for youth members to provide feedback on re-entry work.
Tara Kelly provided an update on R/ED work connected to SEJAY strategies, noting community contacts and youth-engagement ideas; Kelly said the R/ED three-year plan was submitted July 30. Board members discussed next steps and partnerships, including planned listening sessions with PAVE in the fall.
The board did not take formal action on the legislative items; Burgher recommended further legal and policy work to define how county-level restorative-justice advisory committees would operate and how implementation would be funded.
