Department of Juvenile Justice (777)

Authority: §§ 16.1-278.8, 16.1-285.1, 66-13, 66-16, 66-18, 66-19, 66-22 and 66-25.1, Code of Virginia.

A. The Department of Juvenile Justice shall retain all funds paid for the support of children committed to the department to be used for the security, care, and treatment of said children.

B. Beginning with the effective date of any agreement whereby Culpeper County becomes a member of a detention home commission, or signs an agreement with a local detention home, to house juveniles in detention as provided in § 16.1-248.1 or § 16.1-284.1, Code of Virginia, the existing memorandum of agreement between Culpeper County and the Department of Juvenile Justice, under which the department currently houses Culpeper juveniles who are detained, shall be terminated. Culpeper County shall satisfy any amount owed the department for any days during which it housed such juveniles on behalf of the county, but shall be forgiven any outstanding amount for guaranteed bed space which it did not utilize. The amount to be forgiven shall be certified by the department, and the county shall apply an equal amount to the cost of joining a detention commission, or for providing alternative programs to detention, or both, over the five-year period following termination of the agreement with the department. The county shall submit an audited statement to the department demonstrating the appropriate expenditure of such funds no later than June 30, 2012.

C. The Department of Juvenile Justice, with the assistance of the Department of General Services, the Department of Historic Resources, and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership shall work with the County of Rockbridge and other appropriate local entities to address the future use of the property comprising the Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center.  A report outlining potential options for re-use and redevelopment of this property shall be provided to the Governor, the Secretaries of Public Safety, Administration, Natural Resources, and Commerce and Trade, and the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees, by October 1, 2010.

D.1. The Department of Juvenile Justice shall prepare a report on the future of juvenile correctional centers (JCCs) in the Commonwealth.  The report shall include:  (1) an analysis of JCC utilization rates; (2) an analysis of local and regional secure juvenile detention center utilization rates; (3) a determination of the appropriate number and types of beds, including security levels, necessary to manage the projected state-responsible and local-responsible juvenile population; and (4) an analysis of options for providing regional transitional programs and re-entry services at selected local and regional juvenile secure detention facilities.

2. In preparing this report, the department shall consult with representatives of the following:  (1) the Department of Correctional Education; (2) the Department of Education; (3) the Virginia Council on Juvenile Detention; (4) juvenile court service unit directors; (5) juvenile and domestic relations district court judges; (6) juvenile advocacy groups; (7) the Virginia Prisoner and Juvenile Offender Re-entry Council; (8) the Virginia Municipal League; and (9) the Virginia Association of Counties.  This consultation shall address the prospect of implementing a plan for: (1) the closing of one state juvenile correctional center and reallocating the cost savings to regional transitional programs and re-entry services at selected local and regional juvenile secure detention facilities; and (2) identifying funding to be transferred for the purpose of reinvesting in such programs and services.  The report shall detail the feasibility and core components of such a plan and shall include a fiscal analysis of the impact on localities and on the department of the plan.  The fiscal analysis shall address state responsibilities related to transportation, education, medication, assistance to support security services provided directly by the juvenile detention facility, and comprehensive programming provided on a contractual basis by private, for-profit and non-profit providers, based on evidenced-based practices.

3. The report shall be provided to the Governor, the Secretary of Public Safety, and the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees on or before October 1, 2011.