On numerous occasions, we have covered Senate Bill 190: Ending Juvenile Administrative Fees (SB-190), a piece of legislation that abolished entire categories of monetary sanctions in the juvenile legal system and a subset of fees for young people in the adult legal system. Signed into law by former Governor Jerry Brown in 2017, the landmark law went into effect on January 1, 2018.

SB-190 has several facets that are meant to take some of the financial burden off young people who are in legal trouble and their families. The bipartisan legislation prohibits California counties from charging fees to parents and guardians for their child’s:

• Detention
• Representation by Counsel
• Electronic Monitoring
• Probation Supervision
• Drug Testing

The bill also removed each county’s authority to charge young people, ages 18–21, in the adult system for home detention, electronic monitoring, and drug testing. Senators Holly J. Mitchell and Ricardo Lara wrote SB 190 to:

“eliminate a source of financial harm to some of the state’s most vulnerable families, support the reentry of youth back into their homes and communities, and reduce the likelihood that youth will recidivate.”

Failure to Comply with SB-190

The Berkeley Law Policy Advocacy Clinic conducted a study on behalf of the Western Center on Law & Poverty to give a status report on the implementation of SB-190, according to The Crime Report. Study co-authors Stephanie Campos-Bui and Jess Bartholow identified 22 counties in violation of law by continuing to charge fees, demand past fees, and bill families through the child support system.

While the revelation is concerning, the status report did have some positive findings. SB-190 did not waive previously assessed fees; however, the authors write that “36 counties voluntarily discharged or stopped collecting them, relieving hundreds of thousands of families of more than $237 million.”

The report indicates that the bill provided California families with hundreds of millions of dollars in relief. Before SB-190 went into effect, “families with youth in the juvenile legal system had more than $374 million in outstanding fee assessments.”

Researchers identified the worst offenders still pursuing legal fees from families with youths in the juvenile legal system. The five counties failing to comply the most are:

• San Diego
• Orange
• Riverside
• Tulare
• Stanislaus

The study authors recommend that counties stop assessing all SB 190-prohibited fees through child support orders and to young people ages 18–21 in criminal court; counties should voluntarily stop collecting and discharge all previously assessed SB; counties should notify young people and families of all SB 190 fee relief and update all SB 190-related internal- and external-facing fee materials.

On the state level, The Berkeley Law Policy Advocacy Clinic recommends that the California Department of Social Services require local child support agencies to comply with SB 190. They add that the California Legislature and Governor should enact new legislation that waives all previously assessed fees.

California Juvenile Law Attorney

Attorney Katie Walsh has extensive experience in the juvenile legal system and previously worked as a prosecutor; she is in a unique position to advocate for your family and help your child achieve the best possible outcome in his or her case. Please contact The Law Offices of Katie Walsh today for a free consultation.

Coming into contact with the juvenile justice system can have a lasting impact on a person’s life. Once arrested and placed into a detention center, the likelihood of it occurring again exponentially increases. In most cases, young people who get into trouble with the law are better served by alternatives to incarceration.

Reducing recidivism among young Americans must be a chief priority in the U.S. Our adult prisons are overcrowded thanks to the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of nonviolent offenders. Mandatory minimum sentencing laws have not helped either; although efforts have been made to roll back draconian sentencing laws in recent years.

Many people currently serving time in adult jails and prisons had interactions with the juvenile justice system. It stands to reason that doing a better job rehabilitating young people could prevent scenarios like that from happening.

The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) is an organization dedicated to rehabilitating youths and prevent recidivism. The organization writes:

“We work to ensure more humane and rehabilitative prevention and treatment for all children who come in contact with the juvenile justice system, especially children of color who historically have been disproportionately impacted.”

To stop the criminalization of children and ensure justice for all youth, the CDF calls for: more federal resources for youth justice reform, closing youth prisons and investing in restorative, community-based solutions, and putting an end to solitary confinement for children.

New Report on Juvenile Delinquency Rates

Researchers at Frontpoint Security analyzed data from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to find the number of arrests made per 100,000 young people between the ages of 10 and 17, Patch reports. They sought to determine which states had the highest and lowest youth delinquency rates. For instance, California ranked 37th overall.

The research only looked at two types of crime: juvenile larceny (stealing without threatening anyone) and juvenile robbery (stealing by force or threat). In 2017, there were 73 juvenile robbery arrests and 264 juvenile larceny arrests in California, according to the article. Over 300 arrests may seem like a lot until you look at Maryland and Louisiana.

Maryland had 205 juvenile robbery arrests in 2017, the highest rate in the country. The data indicate that Louisiana topped the chart for juvenile larceny arrests with 1,173. Maryland came in first for the highest juvenile theft rates, and Louisiana came in second. West Virginia had the lowest teenage arrest rate.

Fortunately, there is evidence that juvenile delinquency is on the decline. Organizations like the CDF are helping to make even more significant reductions a reality. Frontpoint Security writes:

“… there’s hope for children and teens who have committed crimes—rehab programs that take a therapeutic approach can help them reverse course, and juvenile justice advocates work hard to give them a second chance.”

Orange County Juvenile Defense Attorney

If your son or daughter has been arrested for larceny or robbery, then please contact The Law Offices of Katie Walsh. Attorney Walsh is a former prosecutor which means she has a unique understanding of both sides of the courtroom. She can help your family find a favorable outcome to this unfortunate situation.

People who serve time in California correctional facilities, whether they be adult or juvenile, often learn all the wrong lessons from their cellmates. It is not uncommon for people convicted of crimes to get out of jail and go on to commit more severe offenses. Of course, learning about new ways to break the law is not everyone’s lot; some people use the opportunity of confinement to learn from their mistakes and reinvent themselves.

Men and women who do time have a high likelihood of recidivism. It makes sense; people often break the law because they haven’t the resources to get ahead in life. Such individuals learn how to make some extra cash nefariously from their peers; they also learn how to comport themselves on the street—even using violence when necessary. Learned behaviors can have a lasting impact on young people’s lives, and they often lead to going in and out of jail over-and-over again. However, if juvenile inmates are provided with educational resources, they have an opportunity to break the cycle of incarceration.

In fact, 14 inmates at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility in Camarillo are taking the opportunity to learn valuable skills that may keep them off the streets and into stable employment, USA Today reports. What’s more, the young people’s instruction is coming from an unlikely place, a group of inmates serving time at San Quentin.

Re-coding Life

A novel program, which pairs three prisoners at San Quentin who learned how to write computer code with young men and women at the Camarillo facility, could open doors previously thought shut. The 14 students are taught over Skype how to write JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, a couple of times per month, according to the article. If the program is a success, it will mean that the students have an opportunity of landing good jobs in the tech sector upon their release.

Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti created the Last Mile coding program, two people familiar with the tech industry, the article reports. Chuck Supple, director of the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Division of Juvenile Justice, was impressed by the Last Mile and took steps to incorporate into the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility. The Ventura Youth Correctional Facility in Camarillo could soon accommodate 48 students and actions are underway to introduce the program at other youth detention centers.

Frankie Guzman, director of the California Youth Justice Initiative at the National Center for Youth Law, says that young people serving time are mostly taught skills for low-paying jobs. Educating young people in exciting fields can go a long way to reduce recidivism rates. According to Chuck Pattillo, general manager of the California Prison Industry Authority, inmates participating in joint venture programs, like the Last Mile, have a recidivism rate of 9 percent. Of the inmates not involved, 46 percent will return to prison after release.

“This is not welfare or charity or rewarding bad behavior,” said Guzman, an attorney. He adds that investing in these young people, “we are doing ourselves and our communities a favor.”

Orange County Juvenile Defense Attorney

If your son or daughter is facing criminal charges, it is critical that you partner with an experienced attorney competent in the workings of the juvenile legal system. Seeking the assistance of attorney Katie Walsh gives your child the most favorable odds for avoiding juvenile detention. Please contact our office to learn more about how we can advocate for your family.