General Info

The Division of Juvenile Justice, formerly the California Youth Authority, operates all state-level juvenile correctional institutions and provides education, training and treatment services for youthful offenders. The Youth Offender Parole Board merged with CYA in 2004. The Division of Juvenile Justice assumes the functions of returning wards to their court of commitment for redisposition, discharges commitment, grants parole and sets conditions of parole, revokes or suspends parole, recommends treatment programs and returns nonresident wards to their state of jurisdiction. The DJJ's mission is to protect the public from criminal activity. The law mandates the division to provide a range of training and treatment services for youthful offenders committed by courts; direct these offenders to participate in community and victim restoration; assist local justice agencies with efforts to control crime and delinquency; and encourage the development of state and local programs to prevent crime and delinquency. The Division of Juvenile Justice has a facility in Sacramento, Calif.