MEMORANDUM on Realignment‑January 7, 2021

To All Division of Juvenile Justice Staff,

We would like to take this opportunity to advise you that Governor Newsom will be announcing in his
2021-22 budget proposal the permanent closure of the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) by June 30, 2023.
As you aware, last year’s state budget called for Realignment of juvenile justice to county care, beginning
with the suspension of new commitments as of June 30, 2021, as well as for youth to transition by
attrition.

Given the complexities of providing trauma informed services for youth in an increasingly shrinking
system, we support the proposal to create a firm closure date, with youth transitioning to their counties
of origin. The closure of DJJ will be measured and coordinated. We are evaluating staff impact, and the
movement of youth will be conducted on a case-by-case basis to evaluate and address their rehabilitative
and custody needs when returning to their county of commitment.

While we understand that this will create some challenges, we want to assure you that we will be working
openly, transparently, and collaboratively with labor unions through the duration of the transition. It is
especially important we continue to have staff supporting our youth and our core mission to ensure both
continuity of services and adequate care until our last day.

Staff can be assured that we will work on staff support strategies, such as placing employees into like
positions at other facilities whenever possible, addressing critical vacancies and collaborating to find
avenues to retain staff during the transition.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services
have formed a team to coordinate and oversee the process with the California Department of Human
Resources, and to ensure ongoing communication and transparency with staff throughout. We also have
a dedicated email address for questions: CDCRHRWCRSHelpDesk@cdcr.ca.gov.

We encourage staff to utilize supportive resources available through the Office of Employee Wellness.
You can find more resources here: https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/wellness/.

With gratitude and respect,

KATHLEEN ALLISON
Secretary
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations

HEATHER BOWLDS, Psy.D.
Director
Division of Juvenile Justice