Napa County*

The overall governance for juvenile justice is fragmented and ineffective. The administration and staff at JH are dedicated to youthful offenders, those in JH and those on probation. The Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC) is a body required by state law to receive certain juvenile justice state grant money. The Council is expected to allocate funds across the member entities sitting on the Council. Generally the funds go only to Probation. Neither the JJCC nor the JJC has addressed how Juvenile Hall's physical facility can be modified, remodeled, and repurposed to serve more probationary youth. Although the JJCC is tasked with providing necessary coordination and collaboration, they have not provided the active oversight and direction necessary to maximize the public investment in Juvenile Hall and probationary youth. The Chief Probation Officer (CPO) disagrees partially with the finding. The CPO agrees that the Juvenile Hall administration and staff are dedicated to youthful offenders both in the hall and those on probation and appreciates the Grand Jury's recognition of this. The CPO, however, disagrees with the remainder of the finding. Pursuant to the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) and Welfare and Institutions Code Section 749.22, there is no requirement that JJCPA funding be allocated across the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council's member entities. The requirement is that the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council implement a comprehensive multi-agency juvenile justice plan aimed at reducing juvenile crime annually, which the JJCC has complied with. This plan/report is made available to the public on the Board of State and Community Corrections website (www.bscc.ca.gov). Thus, the prime role of the JJCC is to serve as an advisory council. While there is no requirement to allocate specific funds to specific groups and broad discretion is given, in fiscal year 2021-2022, 37% of AB 1913 funds went to agencies other than probation to provide services to youth and families. The funds directed toward probation are spent providing evidence-based services to youth and families including cognitive behavioral treatment and programs for youth to provide pro-social activities during the high risk after school hours. Regarding the physical facility, there is continued and active engagement related to using the building, including potentially contracting with other counties and building a camp program. This would ensure that Napa County youth can remain close to home. Over the past few years, the juvenile hall has been required to manage the detention population differently due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Using the space appropriately was paramount to keeping the youth and staff safe including space to quarantine youth. These Covid-19 mitigation procedures are still required, and the end date is unknown, making it challenging to use the building space for other purposes until the requirements are no longer in effect. Further, the Department has recently contracted with a consulting firm to review and update the comprehensive plan, conduct focus groups and listening sessions with the community, and identify resources to procure new strategies and tools that will continue to reduce recidivism and maximize opportunities that the juvenile hall facility can provide to youth and families in our community. The Napa County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council ("JJCC") disagrees partially with finding 1. The JJCC agrees that the Juvenile Hall administration and staff are dedicated to youthful offenders. The JJCC however, disagrees with the remainder of the finding. The role of the JJCC is not to govern juvenile justice but act as an advisory council. The JJCC has met its annual requirement of preparing and implementing a comprehensive multiagency juvenile justice plan aimed at reducing juvenile crime. This 2021-2022 Annual Plan entitled Juvenile Justice Plan is available on the BSCC website (www.bscc.ca.gov) and lays out JJCC's plan for reducing juvenile crime over the next year. As an advisory council, the JJCC also considered different allocations of AB 1913 funds and allocated 37% of the funds to other juvenile justice agencies other than Probation. As to the repurposing, modification or remodeling of Juvenile Hall's physical facility, the JJCC as an advisory council has been apprised by Probation and the Superintendent of Juvenile Hall that they are actively investigating and pursuing ideas for utilization of the building space including rethinking and expanding the New Horizons Academy program to a camp program for Napa County youth so they can remain close to home and re-enter the community with local services and relationships to trusted adults. Napa County has also discussed contracting with other counties to house their youth. The JJCC has been informed that other counties are particularly interested in housing their youth at Juvenile Hall because Napa County Juvenile Hall was specifically built as a rehabilitation facility. Moreover, the COVID 19 Pandemic required Juvenile Hall to use all available space for quarantine and isolation purposes to keep all youth safe. Since the COVID 19 protocols are still in effect for the near future, any reconfiguration of the Juvenile Halls facilities will have to be mindful of those protocols. The Napa County Juvenile Justice Commission ("JJC") disagrees wholly with finding 1. The JJC is not a "board involved in the governance of juvenile hall" or a "governance board." Pursuant to Welfare & Institutions Code section 225-231, the JJC's duty is to inquire into the administration of the juvenile court law in the county, inspect premises housing minors, and make recommendations for changes. (W&I sections 229, 230.) JIC's only mandate is to inspect publicly administered juvenile institutions once per year. The JJC may recommend changes after investigation if it has concluded said changes will be beneficial. In 2021, the JJC inspected all the qualifying juvenile facilities in Napa County and concluded in its report that the Juvenile Hall was complying with the California Code of Regulations Title 15, Division 1, Chapter 1, Subchapter 5 - Minimum Standards for Juvenile Facilities and Title 24 Part 2, Section 1230 – Minimum Standards for Juvenile Hall Facilities. As to the Juvenile Hall facilities, over the last ten years the population of Juvenile Hall has fluctuated dramatically. The JJC believes Probation and Juvenile Hall have done an excellent job at implementing evidence-based practices that has reduced recidivism. Additionally pursuant to statutory guidelines and Probation's innovative programs, such as the Evening Reporting Center, the amount of youth that are detained has decreased. However, the JJC has noted that recently because of social isolation and lack of educational structure that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a significant mental health issues of Napa County youth, there has been an increase in youth violence and the amount of youth detained. In addition, the COVID-19 protocols that have been implemented in Juvenile Hall over the course of the pandemic have required Juvenile Hall to use all its space to keep youth safe. As a result, Juvenile Hall, unlike many juvenile and adult correctional facilities, has not had any COVID outbreaks. The JJC has also been informed about the plan to rework the NHA to create a camp that could house our youth that are currently sent out of county for placement services. The JJC believes there is great benefit in serving our youth in our county close to their families and supports structures. Therefore, the JJC believes that Juvenile Hall is being appropriately used and that Probation and Juvenile Hall have appropriate plans for use or reconfiguration of the space once COVID-19 protocols can be lifted.

Inadequate documentation of probationary program experience. There are multiple paths through the three service systems for probationary youth. No case manager or data system tracks these program experiences. As a result of an inadequate data system, there is no way to tell how effective the different paths or programs may be, as recently noted by the State BSCC. The Chief Probation Officer disagrees partially with this finding. While it is appreciated that having one data system track all youth would be ideal, each agency providing services to youth must track their own data for mandated state reporting. To my knowledge, a single database with the capability of combining all data systems does not exist. Therefore, each agency collects and stores its respective data. To ensure communication across systems, there are several multi-disciplinary teams that meet regularly designed to share information about youth involved in the juvenile justice system, as well as identify any additional resources the youth and family may need. As an example, one multi- disciplinary team meeting happens weekly inside the juvenile hall and includes members of probation, juvenile hall, medical providers, education, and mental health. The purpose of this meeting is to ensure that all parties working with the youth have the information they require to provide coordinated service to the youth. Additionally, there are significant barriers to data sharing across systems with confidential juvenile records as many records include protected health information. The JJCC disagrees partially with this Finding. A coordinated data system would be ideal, but could be problematic, due to confidentiality of juvenile records and health records. However, the IJCC disagrees that there is no way to tell how effective the paths and programs are. In addition to multidisciplinary teams that meet to share information, the JJCC also communicates and shares non- confidential data among council members who are the major stakeholders in providing services and protecting youth. The JJCC acknowledges that a consulting firm, Shared Vision has been engaged to conduct a survey of the services available to youth and families in the community so Probation can better serve the needs of the youth. The consulting company is contracted to review, design, and implement a county-wide all-inclusive plan for prevention strategies and services as well as service integration for at-risk youth and their families. This process will include focus groups and community listening sessions designed to ensure there is community engagement in the juvenile justice plan as well as prioritizing effective interventions and leveraging existing resources and projects with a goal of enhancing coordinated services to youth and families in Napa County. The JJC disagrees with this finding. Based upon the information that the JJC has been provided by Probation, Mental Health, the NCOE, Juvenile Hall staff and the youth, the agencies that provide services to the youth work very hard to provide a continuity of care for the youth in Juvenile Hall.

Un-coordinated approach to service. From a case management perspective, probationary youth are supported by three different related, but currently un-coordinated, service systems: probation, education, and housing/homeless services. As a result, no one knows if probationary youth receive the services they legally deserve. The Chief Probation Officer disagrees wholly with this finding. Probationary youth are served by a multitude of different agencies including probation, law enforcement, education, county mental health, private mental health providers, providers of substance abuse, medical providers, community non-profit agencies, and regional centers as appropriate. The probation officer's duty is to ensure that each youth has a case plan that outlines their individualized needs and connects them with the appropriate services. All youth on probation have an attorney who advocates for the individualized needs of the youth and a Judicial Officer who reviews all cases and determines the status of the youth, and the Court orders the youth to a period of rehabilitation which includes reviewing the case plan and ordering conditions of probation. Additionally, there are multi- disciplinary teams and Child and Family Team meetings for youth which ensure that the needs of the youth are being met. The youth's parents and guardians are able to work with the probation officer and have a voice in the Court process to advocate for their child. Additionally, we have probation officers embedded into the Court and Community Schools to facilitate communication and service between the two systems. These agencies work together to ensure youth receive the services they legally deserve. Housing and homeless services are not primary providers at the table for youth as Napa County does not have any homeless probation youth. The JJCC disagrees wholly with this finding. Many members of the JJCC are part of the multidisciplinary teams that provide services to the Napa County probationary youth. Also, as an advisory council we review and analyze the coordination of services of probationary youth and that information is included in our Juvenile Justice Plan annually. The JJC disagrees wholly with this finding. The Juvenile Hall facility has representatives of Napa County Mental Health, Napa County Department of Education, Napa County Health and Humans Services, and many other services agencies that regularly provide and coordinate services to detained youth.

Reduced need for detention model. There are too few youth in need of Juvenile Hall's traditional detention model. A powerful design for NHA would be a better path forward for this facility and for the youth of Napa. The Chief Probation Officer disagrees partially with the finding that there are too few youths in need of Juvenile Hall's traditional detention model. The decline in population has been the result of many factors including philosophical changes in legislation, and the implementation of evidence-based practices that have provided tools that have been proven to reduce recidivism. There is still a need for a secure detention setting for youth who commit violent crimes and need intensive services to rehabilitate. Gang violence including youth in possession of firearms is on the rise, and it is important to community safety to ensure there are adequate programs to serve youth who commit these types of crimes. Additionally, the population fluctuates in the juvenile hall and is somewhat dependent upon legislative practices that cannot be foreseen. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic created a landscape where youth were not engaging in activities due to the shelter-in-place orders which also impacted the way the program in juvenile hall was required to operate. The CPO agrees that because of the recent changes, the New Horizon's Program (NHA) should be redesigned. The probation camp program is currently being redesigned to maximize evidence-based programming for youth with the goal of reducing recidivism, increasing independent living and vocational skills, and ensuring that Napa County youth can remain local for their services in lieu of being sent to other counties. It is imperative that youth can create lasting connections to their families and trusted adults and services in Napa County to support their long-term success. The JJCC disagrees partially with this finding. The JJCC agrees that the focus of Juvenile Hall should be on rehabilitation and maximizing evidence-based practices, vocational practices, independent living, and education. However, there is still a need for a secure "detention model" to safely house youth who commit violent crimes and need intensive services. We believe that Probation's plan for redesigning the NHA program to be a camp that our youth in need of placement services can be serviced and possibly be used by other counties is sound. The JJC disagrees partially with this finding. As an advisory commission whose duty is to inquire into the administration of Juvenile Hall, we agree that legislatively and philosophically there is a shift towards more rehabilitative models of detention. We believe that Juvenile Hall is predominantly a rehabilitative facility. We agree that reworking NHA to expand the program to serve youth who might otherwise be placed out of county in camps is a great idea as we are aware of how important it is for youth to be connected to their communities and families. As the JJC also reads the incident reports, that are required pursuant to Title 15, Section 1362, of all serious incidents of physical harm or mental health issues, we are aware that the "detention model" is necessary to house youth who commit violent crimes and need intensive services and are mentally ill.

Probationary youth need unused beds. Juvenile Hall has many unused beds, while many probationary Napa youth are homeless. The Chief Probation Officer disagrees wholly with this finding. There are no youth currently on probation in Napa County who meet the standard definition of homelessness. The Department, in collaboration with Child Welfare Services and the juvenile justice partners, ensures that each youth has a residence in which to call home. Each youth on probation in Napa County has a plan that includes housing with an appropriate parent, guardian, resource family, or other appropriate family members who provide care for the youth and engage in treatment plans and child and family teams. There is currently no need for detention beds to be used to house homeless youth nor would it be appropriate. The JJCC disagrees wholly with this finding. We are not aware of any homeless probationary youth. Additionally, we are aware of significant statutory prohibitions on housing non-delinquent youth in a detention facility. The JJC disagrees wholly with this finding. We have been informed by Probation that there are no homeless probationary youth. We also are aware that those not accused or adjudicated for a crime cannot legally be detained in a juvenile detention facility.

Educational program in need of improvement. JH needs to develop a viable New Horizon's Academy to serve a broader range of probationary youth. Crossroads needs a literacy program that permits social interaction about what is read; a computer-based program that focuses on individual interest with isolated youth does not do that. JH also needs to work with the county library to develop an educational program that teaches youth to use a sophisticated library system. In addition, JH needs to develop new occupational activities similar to those undertaken with the audio studio. Overall, adults involved in the education of youth in the probation system need to investigate how the agency, literacy, and real work features of the audio studio can provide to all youth for whom they are responsible. The Chief Probation Officer partially disagrees with this finding. The Juvenile Hall is already designing a new program within the hall that was formerly called the New Horizon's program. The intent is to build evidence-based innovative programming that will enhance the lives of the youth in the program, which will include new programs and opportunities for youth to gain employment skills, as well as to focus on education. The Department will investigate ways to use the programs at the Napa County Library as appropriate. The audio studio has been a valued addition to the program in juvenile hall. The Chief Probation Officer and the Napa County Superintendent of Schools are working together to provide excellent educational services to youth evidenced by the numerous graduations that have successfully happened from the Crossroads classroom. The Chief Probation Officer will continue to look for ways to enhance the overall program experience for youth in juvenile hall and will continue to work collaboratively with NCOE understanding that Crossroads is required to comply with state mandates. The JJCC partially disagrees with this finding. Members of the JJCC include representative of the NCOE and Behavioral Health. The Juvenile Hall classroom provides quality educational services to the youth in custody. Juvenile Hall is working to develop new programs such as a camp program that will include programs that will focus on advanced education and vocational skills. The JJC disagrees wholly with this finding. As a part of our annual inspection pursuant to WI § 229, the JJC inspects the NCOE classrooms at Juvenile Hall, interviews the teachers and the youth about the education provided. The classrooms are well organized, the teachers are engaged and most youth like the quality of the education provided. In person teaching was suspended during COVID which was difficult for the teachers and youth. The JJC has also been informed that the new camp program will have a strong educational component including higher education for those youth who have graduated high school.