Report 2011-129 Recommendation 1 Responses

Report 2011-129: Juvenile Justice Realignment: Limited Information Prevents a Meaningful Assessment of Realignment's Effectiveness (Release Date: September 2012)

Recommendation #1 To: State and Community Corrections, Board of

To improve the usefulness of its reports so that they can be used to assess the outcomes of realignment, the board should work with counties and relevant stakeholders, such as the committee that established performance outcome measures for the block grant, to determine the data that counties should report. To minimize the potential for creating a state mandate, the board should take into consideration the information that counties already collect to satisfy requirements for other grants.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2016

On June 20, 2014, Governor Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 1468, establishing the California Juvenile Justice Data Working Group (JJDWG). The JJDWG was mandated to recommend a plan for improving the current juvenile justice reporting requirements for the Youthful Offender Block Grant (YOBG) and the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) by April 30, 2015. The JJDWG submitted the required report to the BSCC Board and the Board discussed the report's recommendations at its June 10, 2015 and on January 11 2016, the Board transmitted the final report to the Legislature. In June 2016, several of the JJDWG's recommendations, including the recommendation to consolidate the reporting requirements for YOBG and JJCPA, were amended into Assembly Bill1998 (Campos) (Reg. Sess. 2015-2016). On September 30, 2016, the Governor signed AB 1998 (Chapter 880, Statutes of 2016). The new reporting requirements mandate that counties report on:"countywide juvenile justice trend data available from existing statewide juvenile justice data systems or networks,...including, but not limited to, arrests, diversions, petitions filed, petitions sustained, placements, incarcerations, subsequent petitions and probation violations." (Welf.& Inst. Code, section 1961, subd. (c)(3).)

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2015

On June 20, 2014, Governor Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 1468, establishing the California Juvenile Justice Data Working Group (JJDWG). The JJDWG was mandated to recommend a plan for improving the current juvenile justice reporting requirements for the Youthful Offender Block Grant (YOBG) and the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) by April 30, 2015. The JJDWG submitted the required report to the BSCC Board and the Board discussed the report's recommendations at its June 10, 2015 meeting but did not approve at that point given some concerns. Since that time, there has been significant progress made toward building consensus around which recommendations will be adopted and how they will be implemented. The process of drafting any needed legislative changes has begun and it is anticipated that amended requirements, should the law be changed, will be in place by the end of the current legislative session.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Not Fully Implemented

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2014

On June 20, 2014, Governor Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 1468, establishing the California Juvenile Justice Data Working Group (JJDWG). This working group has specified representation and is charged with analyzing the capacities and limitations of the data systems and networks used to collect and report state and local juvenile caseload and outcome data.

The most immediate requirement of the JJDWG is that it recommend a plan for improving the current juvenile justice reporting requirements for the Youthful Offender Block Grant (YOBG) and the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA). Specifically, the group is directed by law to look toward streamlining and consolidating current requirements without sacrificing meaningful data collection. Although the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) had previously hoped the Juvenile Justice Standing Committee would be able to assist it in moving forward on implementing some of the State Auditor's recommendations, that did not happen. However, in light of the legal mandate accompanying the JJDWG, we are confident these issues will begin to be tackled. The first meeting of the JJDWG has been set for October 9, 2014 and their recommended plan is due by April 30, 2015.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Not Fully Implemented

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2014

On June 20, 2014, Governor Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 1468, establishing the California Juvenile Justice Data Working Group (JJDWG). This working group has specified representation and is charged with analyzing the capacities and limitations of the data systems and networks used to collect and report state and local juvenile caseload and outcome data.

The most immediate requirement of the JJDWG is that it recommend a plan for improving the current juvenile justice reporting requirements for the Youthful Offender Block Grant (YOBG) and the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA). Specifically, the group is directed by law to look toward streamlining and consolidating current requirements without sacrificing meaningful data collection. Although the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) had previously hoped the Juvenile Justice Standing Committee would be able to assist it in moving forward on implementing some of the State Auditor's recommendations, that did not happen. However, in light of the legal mandate accompanying the JJDWG, we are confident these issues will begin to be tackled. The first meeting of the JJDWG has been set for October 9, 2014 and their recommended plan is due by April 30, 2015.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Not Fully Implemented

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2013

Please refer to our one-year response.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Not Fully Implemented

Please refer to one-year response assessment.

1-Year Agency Response

CSA's criticisms of BSCC's YOBG reporting rely upon an assumption of responsibility that far exceeds the legislative mandate. BSCC has met all of its mandated reporting requirements. BSCC never intended, nor does it advocate, that information in the annual legislative reports be used to draw conclusions about the "outcomes of realignment."

Nevertheless, BSCC asked the Juvenile Justice Standing Committee (JJSC) to review YOBG outcome measures for possible revision. The JJSC met on April 10th and July 16th. Data is a major focus of this committee and both meetings included discussion of data systems and performance measures. On April 10th, information was presented to the full committee on the YOBG program. Three former ESC members shared information about their development of performance outcomes and the limitations related to that process. On July 16th, the JJSC was presented with information on BSCC's experience over the past three years collecting, analyzing and reporting YOBG data. Particular attention was given to the challenges of data collection and reporting that stem from ambiguity and limitations in law.

The JJSC has not specifically discussed what data counties can/should report for YOBG performance outcomes. It has taken a more global approach, choosing instead to assess data collection and reporting for California's juvenile justice system as a whole. This is particularly appropriate post-realignment. Given the current shift away from prescriptive state administration of programs and toward increased county responsibility for decisions and outcomes, this broader view is essential.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Partially Implemented

As we indicated on page one of our report, although the law does not specifically require the board's reports to include an assessment of the outcomes of realignment, because the board is the only state administering body referenced in the law that realigned juvenile offenders, we would expect that its annual reports would give the Legislature information with which to make such an assessment. We recognize that the board has taken steps to convene relevant stakeholders to discuss block grant outcome measures for possible revisions; however, at this time, the results of the board's efforts to convene stakeholders are unclear.

6-Month Agency Response

The BSCC indicated that it established a Juvenile Justice Steering Committee (JJSC) that will discuss issues related to the Youthful Offender Block Grant (YOBG), including data collection and reporting requirements.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

The BSCC indicated that it would provide materials relating to the JJSC, including meeting materials, with its 1-year response.

60-Day Agency Response

The board did not specifically address this recommendation in its response. (See 2013-406, p. 230)

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: No Action Taken

All Recommendations in 2011-129

Agency responses received after June 2013 are posted verbatim.