As state legislators look at the proposed budget cuts, many are wondering the impact these cuts will have on the youth served by Each One Reach One. Under the proposed AB109 Criminal Justice Alignment, the state youth prison system would be abolished to save million of dollars and speed up reform at county facilities. While many have been lobbying for the closure of the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) for decades, this means that hundreds of youth will be returning to the county juvenile detention facilities and some, to the adult prison system. Effective July 1, 2011, the DJJ would stop accepting new appointments to their facilities and close by June 30, 2014. Any offender still in custody at that time would return to the local jurisdiction detention facilities. The closure of the DJJ will shift costs from the state to the county level, and hopefully speed up detention reform at the local level.
At the city and county level, 10-25% budget cuts across city-wide departments will also impact our youth. Most Violence Prevention, Gang Reduction, and Non-Violence Initiatives are being forced to limit their spending on programs for at-risk youth. This negatively impacts the amount of funding available to provide detention-based and post-release programming for youth. It is up to agencies like Each One Reach One to collaborate with other agencies and our supporters to continue providing these critical programs!
Check out this great article on the proposed state budget cuts and the impact on the Juvenile Justice System!
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