1910-1913
WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE
SECTION 1910-1913
1910. The Legislature hereby finds that wards are committed to the Department of the Youth Authority at rates and for seriousness of risks and needs which vary considerably from county to county. Current law requires the Department of the Youth Authority to accept a person committed to it if it believes that the person can be materially benefited by its reformatory and educational discipline, and if it has adequate facilities to provide that care. The Legislature also finds that, with an increasing youth population in California, some persons committed to the department may not be accepted because of insufficient facilities. Further, objective systems for classifying the risks posed by a minor and the needs of the minor for training and treatment can increase the equity in acceptance decisions and allocate custody and services to the minors throughout the state who can most materially benefit from a Youth Authority commitment. 1911. The Department of the Youth Authority shall, as resources are available, develop and implement a system to classify persons committed to the department. In developing this classification system, the Department of the Youth Authority shall consult with the Association of Chief Probation Officers of California and the Juvenile Court Judges section of the California Judges Association. This classification system shall include objective categories to assess the risks and needs of each person committed to the Department of the Youth Authority. The aggregate information from the classification system shall become the basis for the development of standardized criteria to determine suitability for commitment to the Department of the Youth Authority. 1912. The Department of the Youth Authority shall, as resources are available, conduct an assessment of the feasibility and costs of developing and implementing a statewide juvenile information system, to include information on the offenses, characteristics, and dispositions of individual youths from referral to probation through discharge from the Department of the Youth Authority and for a period of time after discharge. This system shall be designed to ensure that the Department of the Youth Authority receives the information needed for each person committed to it, in order to plan properly for his or her program of training and treatment. This system shall also be designed to permit the Department of the Youth Authority to obtain information on subsequent offenses and other characteristics after release from Youth Authority institutions and after discharge from parole, for use in evaluating the department's programs. 1913. The Department of the Youth Authority shall seek federal funds and funds from other sources to develop the classification system and to assess the feasibility of a statewide juvenile information system.