SECTIONS 1120-1125.5 - California Statutes

WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE

SECTION 1120-1125.5

1120. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to insure an
appropriate educational program for wards committed to the Department
of the Youth Authority. The objective of the program shall be to
improve the academic, vocational, and life survival skills of each
ward so as to enable these wards to return to the community as
productive citizens.
(b) The department shall assess the educational needs of each ward
upon commitment and at least annually thereafter until released on
parole. The initial assessment shall include a projection of the
academic, vocational, and psychological needs of the ward and shall
be used both in making a determination as to the appropriate
educational program for the ward and as a measure of progress in
subsequent assessments of the educational development of the ward.
The educational program of the department shall be responsive to
the needs of all wards, including those who are educationally
handicapped or limited-English-speaking wards.
(c) The statewide educational program of the department shall
include, but shall not be limited to, all of the following courses of
instruction:
(1) Academic preparation in the areas of verbal communication
skills, reading, writing, and arithmetic.
(2) Vocational preparation including vocational counseling,
training in marketable skills, and job placement assistance.
(3) Life survival skills, including preparation in the areas of
consumer economics, family life, and personal and social adjustment.
All of the aforementioned courses of instruction shall be offered
at each institution within the jurisdiction of the department except
camps and those institutions whose primary function is the initial
reception and classification of wards. At such camps and institutions
the educational program shall take into consideration the purpose
and function of the camp and institutional program.

1120.1. (a) In furtherance of the purpose of the Department of the
Youth Authority to protect society from the consequences of criminal
activity, the department's educational programs shall focus on
value-based character education, emphasizing curriculum leading to a
crime-free lifestyle. In furtherance of this goal, the department
shall establish the office of the Superintendent of Education. The
Superintendent of Education shall oversee educational programs under
the jurisdiction of the department.
(b) The department shall ensure that each ward who has not
attained a high school diploma or equivalent shall be enrolled in an
appropriate educational program as deemed necessary by the
department.
(c) The department shall develop a high school graduation plan for
every ward identified pursuant to subdivision (b).

1120.2. (a) There is in the Department of the Youth Authority a
correctional education authority for the purpose of carrying out the
education and training of wards committed to the youth authority.
(b) The course of study for wards attending any of grades 7 to 12,
inclusive, shall include those courses specified in Article 3
(commencing with Section 51220) of Chapter 2 of Part 28 of the
Education Code. The course of study shall meet the model curriculum
standards adopted by the Superintendent of Public Instruction
pursuant to Section 51226 of the Education Code.
(c) (1) The correctional education authority shall adopt standards
of proficiency in basic skills for wards attending a course of study
for any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive.
(2) Differential standards and assessment procedures may be
adopted for wards for whom an individualized education program has
been developed and for whom the regular instructional program has
been modified or for wards who have been diagnosed with a learning
handicap or disability.
(d) The correctional education authority may issue diplomas of
graduation from high school to wards who have completed the required
course of study and meet the standards of proficiency in basic skills
adopted by the correctional education authority. The authority may
also administer to wards the general educational development tests
that have been approved by the State Board of Education.
(e) For purposes of receiving federal funds, the correctional
education authority shall be deemed a local educational agency.
(f) For purposes of receiving state funds pursuant to subdivision
(b) of Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution in
accordance with the definitions set forth in Section 41202 of the
Education Code, the correctional education authority shall be deemed
a state agency and shall only be entitled to state funding for direct
instructional services provided to wards attending a course of
study. The correctional education authority may not receive state
funds unless the funds are specifically appropriated to the
Department of the Youth Authority for direct instructional services,
and may not receive additional funds from the State Department of
Education under any other program.

1120.5. At each institution under this chapter the Youth Authority
shall organize and maintain a division of instruction and such other
divisions as it deems necessary and advisable in the conduct of the
school.

1121. The chief of each such division of instruction shall be well
trained in modern school administration.

1122. Such divisions of instruction shall have jurisdiction over
all courses of instruction. Such courses shall include academic and
vocational training, and shall be subject to the approval of the
State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

1123. Subject to the availability of adequate state funding for
these purposes, the Director of the Youth Authority shall provide all
wards at each penal institution within the jurisdiction of the
department, including camps, with information about behavior that
places a person at high risk for contracting the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and about the prevention of
transmission of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The
director shall provide all wards, who are within one month of release
or being placed on parole, with information about agencies and
facilities that provide testing, counseling, medical, and support
services for AIDS victims. Information about AIDS prevention shall be
solicited by the director from the State Department of Health
Services, the county health officer, or local agencies providing
services to persons with AIDS. The Director of Health Services, or
his or her designee, shall approve protocols pertaining to the
information to be disseminated, and the training to be provided,
under this section.

1124. Each institution under this chapter may manufacture, repair,
and assemble products or may raise produce, for use in the
institution or in any other State institution or for sale to or
pursuant to contract with the public. The primary purpose of all
instruction, discipline and industries shall be to benefit the
inmates of the several schools and to qualify them for honorable
employment and good citizenship. Moneys received from sales or
contracts made or entered into under this section shall be used first
to defray the expenses of the industry, including wages paid to the
wards working in the industry. The wages shall be set by the
director. Moneys in excess of those used to support the industry
shall be deposited in the "Benefit Fund" as defined in Section
1752.5.

1125. Each inmate of an institution under this chapter shall be
permitted to keep for his own use all articles of handiwork and other
finished products suitable primarily for personal use, as determined
by the director, which have been fabricated by the inmate.

1125.5. When any public road is a principal means of access to the
Preston School of Industry the Department of the Youth Authority,
with the consent of the Department of Finance, may arrange with the
California Highway Commission or the board of supervisors of the
county in which the road is located for the employment of the inmates
of the school in the improvement or maintenance of the road, under
supervision of the officers of the school and without compensation to
the inmates so employed.