Judge to rule on progress in CA juvenile justice system

OAKLAND — The California Youth Authority promised three years ago to overhaul the state's juvenile justice system to better rehabilitate the youths incarcerated within its detention centers.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jon Tigar will decide this week whether the state has made sufficient progress on those promises to provide a safe, therapeutic environment.

In 2004, the Prison Law Office sued the State Department of Corrections' Juvenile Justice division over a range of issues, including medical, educational and mental health care conditions at the state-run centers. A stipulation agreement signed in January 2005 outlined six areas the reforms would be focused on, and an implementation timeline for each. Special monitors were hired to oversee the reforms.