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ICYMI: Governor Newsom’s Juvenile Justice Experiment is Failing By Design

By Karen Pank, Executive Director, Chief Probation Officers of California. Originally published in Los Angeles Daily News.

Close the youth prisons first. Invent the replacement later. That was California’s plan.

To understand how we got here, step back. From 2000 to 2019, California’s juvenile justice system made historic gains. With state support during that time, county probation departments cut juvenile arrests by 73 percent and kept more than 90 percent of youth who committed crimes in the community instead of locked facilities….

Then the design changed. In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 823, which closed the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), and shifted California’s highest-risk, highest-need youth onto the counties. Probation departments warned that closing DJJ without a focused replacement would fail the young people the state claimed to be helping. The warnings were ignored.

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California State Legislative Members Recognize Probation Services Week 2026

California State Legislative Members Recognize Probation Services Week 2026

As Probation Services Week 2026 begins, California’s probation professionals were recently recognized on both the Senate and Assembly floors for their vital contributions to public safety and community well-being. We extend our sincere thanks to legislators Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen and Senator Anna Caballero who took the time to acknowledge the dedicated work of probation professionals across the state and highlight the essential role they play in California’s justice system. 

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Sacramento County Probation Celebrates Student Successes

From Sacramento County Probation and CPOC Communications.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – July 2, 2026 –  Sacramento County Probation recently celebrated two inspiring educational milestones at its Youth Detention Facility (YDF), recognizing the hard work and determination of young people committed to building brighter futures.

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LA County Probation Department Launches Culinary Education Program For Campus Kilpatrick Youth

From Random Length News

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. – October 1, 2026 –  The Los Angeles County Probation Department, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Mission College, launched a culinary arts program at Campus Vernon Kilpatrick or CVK earlier this month, that will give youth at the facility the opportunity to earn college credit while learning in an on-site instructional kitchen.

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