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Tell the State Commission on Juvenile Justice: Shut It Down!

Our campaign to transform California's abusive youth prison system is bearing fruit. Earlier this year, the state's own independent oversight agency, the Little Hoover Commission, released a report recommending a transition to regional rehabilitation centers by 2011.

On September 25th, the State Commission on Juvenile Justice -- the agency in charge of setting the direction for the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) -- will consider following the Little Hoover recommendation and closing the DJJ. The Commissioners need to know there is public support for this plan.

We'll present the stories and signatures we collect to the Commission at the hearing. Please take a moment to tell your story or describe why you support shutting down the DJJ.

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Members of the State Commission on Juvenile Justice:

The time for a new approach to juvenile justice is now. California has wasted too much time and money on the notorious Division of Juvenile Justice, waiting for reforms that have yet to materialize. A lawsuit settlement in 2004 mandated extensive changes. Four years and over two billion dollars later, California’s youth prison system is still a disgrace.

DJJ's decrepit, warehouse-style prisons are structurally unsuitable for rehabilitation.
DJJ fails to regularly provide education, adequate mental health and/or medical care, job training, or other re-entry services.
Despite a shrinking youth prison population, recidivism is still an outrageous 72% and the cost has skyrocketed to $252,000 per youth per year. California should spend that money on programs that are proven to help youth.

We, the undersigned, applaud the Little Hoover Commission’s recent recommendation to eliminate the expensive, failing Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and replace it with effective local and regional alternatives. We urge the State Commission on Juvenile Justice to support the call for a bold and essential overhaul of California’s juvenile justice system.

We, the undersigned, call on the State Commission on Juvenile Justice to support the Little Hoover recommendations and lead California to eliminate the failing Division of Juvenile Justice and fully realign juvenile justice with dedicated funding at the local level for effective, evidence-based care for youth.