Assembly Bill 702 would revise and recast components of the
Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA), including
requiring funded programs to be modeled on trauma-informed and
youth development approaches in collaboration with
community-based organizations (CBOs), requiring that no less than
95% of funds are allocated to CBOs and non-law enforcement
government entities, and changing the membership provisions of
county juvenile justice coordinating councils.
CSAC, along with the Urban Counties of California (UCC) and the
Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) opposed
AB 702, which is a two-year bill that would redirect a
stable, constitutionally protected funding structure from
counties. At this time, counties are diligently working
toward full implementation of SB 823, which shifted the
responsibility for the care and custody of criminal justice
system-involved youth from the state to county probation.
UCC, RCRC, and CSAC are united in our view that community-based
organizations provide vital, indispensable programs and services
to justice-involved youth and young adults and are key partners
in delivering responsive and culturally relevant programming.
However, the process for allocating funds to partner
organizations should remain a local decision with robust
community engagement given that local governments are accountable
for the outcomes associated with the support and supervision of
justice-involved youth. Furthermore, we would value a
collaborative discussion on separate, new investments in these
programs as to complement the existing work of county probation
departments that share the goals of diverting individuals from
the criminal justice system where possible and facilitating
positive community reentry.
AB 702 will be heard in Assembly Committee on Public
Safety on January 9, 2024. CSAC and are county partners and
affiliate are asking counties to submit letters of opposition
asking Legislators to vote NO on AB 702.
