In 1996, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors appointed a 22-member Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC). The JJCC represented a regional, coordinated advisory group which works to strengthen and support communities and families. The JJCC advises the Board of Supervisors on all juvenile justice issues, oversees and develops quality prevention, intervention, and graduated sanction services, policies and programs.

 

​In 2006, to address potential conflicts of interests and to better maintain integrity of the juvenile justice system in implementing the Comprehensive Strategy approach to juvenile justice the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in partnership with the Children’s Initiative, (which staffs the JJCC), created the Juvenile Justice Comprehensive Strategy Task Force (JJCSTF). The Task Force is made up of a broad array of community stakeholders, government representatives, local law enforcement, educators, and other interested parties. The purpose of the Task Force is to partner with the JJCC to serve as a platform to address emerging issues with at-risk youth in the juvenile justice system and to maximize partnerships and resources on behalf of San Diego’s youth.

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Role of JJCC, JJCSTF and Collaborating Partners

In San Diego County, the JJCC and the JJCSTF develop and strengthen public and private partnerships to advise and make recommendations to the County Board of Supervisors, state and federal legislators, Juvenile Court and juvenile justice stakeholders on juvenile justice services, programs and policies. The ongoing role of the JJCC, JJCSTF and their partners is to:

 

Develop a Comprehensive Multi-agency Juvenile Justice Plan (CMJJP)

• Solicit input and participation from community partners and stakeholders.

• Review relevant data to identify trends and gaps in the system.

• Identify best practices, promising approaches and evidence-based services and policies.

• Develop priority strategies, focus areas, and services.

• Develop outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies.

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Develop and utilize a system-wide funding strategy based on outcomes and filling identified gaps in the areas of prevention through custody

• Recommend desired outcomes to policy makers.

• Utilize assessment instruments and protocols to identify local needs and priorities.

• Utilize grant resource networks and community collaboratives to seek partners and resources to fill identified gaps in the areas of prevention through custody.

• Advocate and gain support for the Juvenile Justice Plan in all areas of the community by engaging the community.

Utilize federal, state, local partnerships, and collaborative efforts to highlight prevention and early intervention strategies and services

• Blend federal, state, and local funds to support staff positions related to the Comprehensive Strategy.
• Partner with other government agencies to blend resources, maximize funding, and enhance and expand services.

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Ensure that elected officials, policy makers, and community leaders support the Comprehensive Multi-agency Juvenile Justice Plan

• Investigate, evaluate, and communicate the efforts and successes of communities to establish policies and practices that positively impact communities.
• Utilize a structured decision-making process to allocate resources to fill identified gaps in the areas of prevention through custody.

 

The JJCC and the Task Force has developed strong partnerships and committed agreements to work collectively and across systems on behalf of children and youth. Partners include, but are not limited to:

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San Diego County Board of Supervisors
San Diego Sheriff’s Office
San Diego Police Chiefs Association
Public Defenders Office
Ninth District PTA
Community-based Organizations
San Diego County Office of Education
The Children’s Initiative
San Diego School Boards Association
Business Leaders

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San Diego County Probation Department
San Diego County District Attorney
Health and Human Services Agency
San Diego Police Department
San Diego Unified School District
San Diego Superior Court-Juvenile
San Diego Association of Governments
San Diego School Districts