NCJ Number
172286
Date Published
1997
Length
59 pages
Annotation
The elimination of State inspections of California's juvenile detention centers in 1992 and its replacement by a system of self-certification led to the development of a training project to juvenile justice personnel and community members in how to apply the law and standards in their inspections and other activities.
Abstract
The California Juvenile Hall Self-Inspection Training project had three components. The first component was the development of a new, comprehensive inspection assessment form that included not only existing State regulations, but also additional standards needed to comply with constitutional law, applicable statutory law, and accepted professional standards. The second component involved full-day training sessions for administrators and staff of juvenile facilities, attorneys and advocates for children, and judges or juvenile justice commission members with independent inspection authority. The third component was quality assurance through ongoing technical assistance and follow-up facility assessments by Youth Law Center staff. The training reached people from 46 of California's 58 counties over a 3-year period. Overall, the project had an extremely beneficial impact. The project's experience suggests that much of what was learned is applicable to monitoring conditions in any juvenile detention system, regardless of the enforcement mechanism used. Photographs and appended program materials