SECTIONS 1910-1913 - California Statutes

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.