Dear Parents and Guardians of DJJ Youth
As of this writing, we have no known or suspected cases and no one has tested positive for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) at a DJJ facility. DJJ considers the health of its youth, staff, visitors and volunteers its highest priority.
As you may know, On March 11, Governor Newsom announced that gatherings should be postponed or canceled across the state until at least the end of March. On March 13, the President declared a National Emergency.
In an effort to ensure everyone’s well-being and continue COVID-19 prevention efforts, normal visiting is currently being canceled statewide until further notice. DJJ values family relationships and visitation as an essential part of rehabilitation, but at this time the Division must make difficult decisions in order to protect the health and wellness of all who live in, work in, and visit our facilities.
DJJ is evaluating this situation daily with the goal of restoring normal visiting privileges as soon as possible. In the meantime DJJ will expand current phone call use for all of the youth, additional postage stamps will be provided to the youth at no cost. In addition, DJJ is in the process of exploring video phone calls,(“Skype”) so that visitors can better interact with their sons and daughters as another means of staying connected.
We encourage everyone to stay safe at this challenging time. Please continue to stay up to date on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 response and prevention recommendations at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html and return to our website https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/juvenile-justice/ for further updates.
Sincerely,
Heather Bowlds
Director (A), Division of Juvenile Justice