Juveniles: secure youth treatment facilities: less restrictive programs.

Existing law authorizes a court to order a ward who is 14 years of age or older, and who meets certain criteria, to be committed to a secure youth treatment facility, operated by the county of commitment, for a period of confinement. Existing law authorizes the court, upon a motion from the probation department or the ward, to order that the ward be transferred from a secure youth treatment facility to a less restrictive program, such as a halfway house, a camp or ranch, or a community residential or nonresidential service program if the court determines that the ward has made substantial progress toward the goals of the individual rehabilitation plan. Existing law requires the court to consider the recommendations of the probation department on the proposed change in the placement. This bill would require the Judicial Council, by July 1, 2028, to develop and adopt guidelines to assist the court in determining whether a particular less restrictive program is an appropriate placement for a ward. The bill would require the guidelines to direct the court to consider specified topics, including, among others, the type of training a program's staff has received.