Implementing Reform in California: Safety & Welfare Remedial Plan

On November 19, 2004, a the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) entered into a consent decree in the case of Farrell v. Allen. The consent decree required the defendant to file remedial plans in all areas of deficiency identified by experts for the court by January 31, 2005.

In January 2005, based on DJJ's decision to reform California's juvenile system to a rehabilitative model based on a therapeutic environment rather than simply address the deficiencies identified by the expert reports, the parties agreed to extend the dates for the filing of remedial plans. DJJ filed the first plan on December 1, 2006, but both parties agreed that the plan lacked enough detail for implementation. Nationally recognized juvenile justice experts reviewed the plan and this revision of the plan reflects their input. The plan is organized around major elements of a comprehensive reform plan. Those elements are as follows:

• Create capacity for change
   
• Reduce violence and fear
   
• Identify a treatment/rehabilitative model
   
• Lay the foundation for treatment reform
   
• Convert facilities to rehabilitative model
   
• Reform system for females

Each section addresses one of these major elements. In all cases, each section begins with a brief description of the issue. This is followed by a discussion section wherein details concerning deficiencies and required changes are presented. Each section concludes with an action plan.

A plan for monitoring for compliance, including standards and criteria and identification of actions necessary to achieve compliance, will be filed by October 31, 2006. The October 31 document will contain completion dates for all the action plan items in this plan that do not already have specific completion dates.