AB 802

Existing law establishes in each county a juvenile justice commission, but authorizes the boards of supervisors of 2 or more adjacent counties to agree to establish a regional juvenile justice commission in lieu of a county juvenile justice commission. Existing law requires a juvenile justice commission, among other things, to inquire into the administration of the juvenile court law in the county or region in which the commission serves and to annually inspect any jail or lockup within the county that, in the preceding calendar year, was used for confinement for more than 24 hours of any minor. This bill would require a juvenile justice commission to, or work with a local community-based organization to, administer, at least once every 24 months, a survey of youth younger than 26 years of age who are confined in county juvenile halls, camps, and other facilities used for the confinement of youth, in order to ascertain whether confined youth are chronically or often hungry, whether confined youth have regular access to food between meals, whether confined youth have adequate time for meals, and the quality of the food confined youth are provided. The bill would require a juvenile justice commission to, if that survey indicates that confined youth are often or chronically hungry, make recommendations for changes to county policies to address that hunger. The bill would require the results of the survey and any recommendations made to be posted on the juvenile justice commission’s internet website and would require a description of any remedial or corrective actions the county takes to address issues found as a result of the survey to be published on the county probation department’s internet website. By imposing new duties on juvenile justice commissions and county probation departments, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.