SCJOA Working With The Division Of Juvenile Justice

The California Youth Authority (CYA) was created by law in 1941, but it wasn’t until 1943 that the agency began to operate “reform schools,” providing institutional training and parole supervision for juvenile and young adult offenders. It is the largest youthful offender agency in the nation. In a massive reorganization of California corrections in 2005, the CYA became the Juvenile Justice Division under the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. As part of the state’s juvenile justice system, the DJJ works closely with law enforcement, the courts, prosecutors, probation, and a broad spectrum of public and private agencies concerned with and involved in the problems of youth.

MISSION & JUSTICE PHILOSOPHY
The mission of the Division of Juvenile Justice is to protect the public from criminal activity by providing education, training, and treatment services for youthful offenders committed by the courts; assisting local justice agencies with their efforts to control crime and delinquency; and encouraging the development of state and local programs to prevent crime and delinquency.

In addition to providing education, training, and treatment services for youthful offenders, the Department is broadening its focus to include the needs of victims and communities. It is the Department’s intention to address the needs of victims and communities through the provision of direct services as well as programs targeting youthful offender.

The DJJ receives its youthful offender population from both juvenile and superior court referrals. Offenders committed directly to the DJJ do not receive determinate sentences. The Board of Parole Hearings, Juvenile Justice Division, a separate administrative body, determines their parole release. The DJJ does provide housing for juveniles under the age of 18 who have been sentenced to the Adult Division.

A ward’s period of incarceration is determined by the severity of the committing offense and the offender’s progress toward parole readiness. In addition, the DJJ’s jurisdiction for the most serious offenders ends on the offender’s 25th birthday.