Authority: §§ 16.1-278.8, 16.1-285.1, 66-13, 66-16, 66-18, 66-19, 66-22 and 66-25.1, Code of Virginia.

A. The Department of Juvenile Justice shall retain all funds paid for the support of children committed to the department to be used for the security, care, and treatment of said children.

B.1. The Director, Department of Juvenile Justice, (the “Department”) shall develop a transformation plan to provide more effective and efficient services for juveniles, using data-based decision-making, that improves outcomes and safely reduces the number of juveniles housed in state-operated juvenile correctional centers, consistent with public safety. To accomplish these objectives, the Department will provide, when appropriate, alternative placements and services for juveniles committed to the Department that offer treatment, supervision and programs that meet the levels of risk and need, as identified by the Department's risk and needs assessment instruments, for each juvenile placed in such placements or programs. Prior to implementation, the plan shall be approved by the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

2. The Department shall reallocate any savings from the reduced cost of operating state juvenile correctional centers to support the goals of the transformation plan including, but not limited to: (a) increasing the number of male and female local placement options, and post-dispositional treatment programs and services; (b) ensuring that appropriate placements and treatment programs are available across all regions of the Commonwealth; and (c) providing appropriate levels of educational, career readiness, rehabilitative, and mental health services for these juveniles in state, regional, or local programs and facilities, including but not limited to, community placement programs, independent living programs, and group homes. The goals of such transformation services shall be to reduce the risks for reoffending for juveniles supervised or committed to the Department and to improve and promote the skills and resiliencies necessary for the juveniles to lead successful lives in their communities.

3. No later than November 1 of each year, the Department of Juvenile Justice shall provide a report to the Governor, the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees, the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Director, Department of Planning and Budget, assessing the impact and results of the transformation plan and its related actions. The report shall include, but is not limited to, assessing juvenile offender recidivism rates, fiscal and operational impact on detention homes; changes (if any) in commitment orders by the courts; and use of the savings redirected as a result of transformation, including the amount expended for contracted programs and treatment services, including the number of juveniles receiving each specific service. The report should also include the average length of stay for juveniles in each placement option.

4. The Director, Department of Planning and Budget, is authorized to transfer appropriations between items and programs within the Department of Juvenile Justice to reallocate any savings achieved through transformation to accomplish the goals of transformation.

C.1. There is hereby established a task force on juvenile correctional centers comprised of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, and the Directors of the Departments of Juvenile Justice, Corrections, and Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and the Office of Children's Services, or their designees. The Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security shall chair the task force. The task force shall present an interim report by November 1, 2016, and a final report by July 15, 2017, to the Governor, the Director of the Department of Planning and Budget, the Chairman of the Virginia Commission on Youth, and the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees.

2.a. The task force shall consider the future capital and operational requirements for Virginia's juvenile correctional centers, including the construction of a new facility in the City of Chesapeake, for which planning was authorized by the 2016 General Assembly, and also including (i) the projected population of state-responsible juvenile offenders, including an assessment of the impact of the Department of Juvenile Justice's length of stay guidelines, (ii) the number of juveniles expected to be held in each facility, (iii) the level and type of mental health, medical, academic and vocational education, and other services to be provided, (iv) the design and size of spaces needed to accommodate the necessary services within state facilities, (v) the accommodation of the treatment needs of state-responsible juvenile offenders with diagnoses of serious mental or behavioral health issues, (vi) the appropriateness of alternative housing models, including cells and rooms (including both single and double-bunking), dormitories, cottages, and other housing configurations, (vii) the number and geographical location of facilities, and (viii) the potential for contracting for the use of space in existing local and regional secure detention facilities, group homes, and private residential facilities.

b. The task force shall identify existing juvenile correctional centers, including facilities which are not currently operational, and other property currently owned by state agencies, and consider the extent to which the recommendations developed pursuant to Paragraph C.2.a. of this item may be accommodated within such properties, along with the costs of construction or renovation of existing facilities to accommodate these recommendations. The task force shall conduct a cost-benefit analysis to compare the potential revenues realized from the sale of existing real property owned by state agencies, with the projected replacement costs which would be incurred to provide replacement facilities, should existing properties be sold. This analysis should include an assessment of the impact of locational factors on expected program outcomes and on the objective of maintaining the juvenile offenders' relationships with their families and communities.

c. In evaluating these alternatives, the task force shall give consideration to and report on the estimated costs of construction, operation and maintenance of facilities, and the potential impact of these alternatives to the outcomes for state-responsible juvenile offenders, including recidivism. The task force shall also give consideration to the projected requirements for state funding for local and regional secure detention facilities, and alternatives to detention, including but not limited to, the Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act.

3. The Department of General Services and all other agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide technical assistance upon request of the task force. The task force shall include input from judges, attorneys for the Commonwealth, law enforcement, local government, private providers, and other stakeholders as appropriate.

4. The Director, Department of Juvenile Justice, is authorized to procure such consultant or other services as necessary to conduct the task force's review. The Director is authorized to use funds identified in Paragraph A of this item for such purposes.

5. If the Department of Juvenile Justice deems it necessary, due to facility population decline, efficient use of resources, and the need to further reduce recidivism, to close a state juvenile correctional center, the Department shall (i) work cooperatively with the affected localities to minimize the effect of the closure on those communities and their residents, and (ii) implement a general closure plan, preferably not less than 12 months from announcement of the closure, to create opportunities to place affected state employees in existing departmental vacancies, assist affected employees with placement in other state agencies, create training opportunities for affected employees to increase their qualifications for additional positions, and safely reduce the population of the facility facing closure, consistent with public safety.