July 9, 2024
Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor, State of California
1021 O Street, 9th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 1353 (Wahab) Youth Bill of Rights – SUPPORT
Dear Governor Newsom:
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is pleased to support SB 1353 (Wahab) which adds the right for youth in juvenile facilities to receive adequate, appropriate, and timely behavioral health services.
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is a youth-led statewide network comprised of TAY Action Teams and CAYEN Board members which engages, empowers and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental health advocacy on issues that directly affect TAY. Since CAYEN’s inception in 2006, CAYEN has taken many forms of action to empower TAY in their personal lives and spark progressive change in public policy. We recognize the importance for every youth to have access to appropriate mental and behavioral health services and are committed to expanding access to all youth especially those who are justice involved.
We do not want to see youth in the juvenile justice system continue to stay incarcerated as adults. We believe in rehabilitation through quality behavioral supportive services leading to their return to their community feeling more connected and more likely to thrive as a productive member of society.
According to a study by Tucker and Palomino (2018), the average annual cost of a justice involved youth in a county juvenile hall in California was $285,700. Meanwhile, the Justice Policy Institute finds that community-based programs providing individualized services for youth based on their needs (as an alternative to incarceration) can cost under $30,000 annually per youth. The cost of keeping a child in the county juvenile halls for longer than they need to be is more than if they were rehabilitated and ready to rejoin their community after receiving timely access to mental health services while under the juvenile justice system.
Ensuring access to behavioral health resources for justice-involved youth is crucial for their development of healthy coping skills to manage stressful situations in their lives. This support reduces their likelihood of reoffending and returning to the juvenile justice system by equipping them to handle unfavorable circumstances more effectively. Incarcerated youth with mental health challenges need to feel empowered and ready to overcome obstacles by applying the skills they learn from behavioral health services.
A 2017 literature review from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention points to a number of relevant analyses and studies. The review suggests that upwards of 70 percent of youth engaged with the juvenile justice system also have a diagnosable mental health problem. This same review points to a 2010 multisite study that indicates 30 percent of juvenile justice youth met the criteria for disruptive behavior disorders. They also cite a 2017 analysis that found “externalizing disorders were significantly related to recidivism.”
If preventing recidivism is a desired outcome for detained and incarcerated youth, then addressing behavioral health must be a key part of the solution. For these reasons we support SB 1353 (Wahab) and respectfully request your signature. If CAYEN can be of any assistance please feel free to reach out to our Public Policy Coordinator, Dany Thirakul, at dthirakul@mhac.org.
In Community,
Danny Thirakul
Public Policy Coordinator
California Youth Empowerment Network