Juveniles: delinquency.

Senator Menjivar's juvenile justice reform proposal would allow California county boards of supervisors to transfer certain probation department responsibilities to other county departments. The legislation permits counties to reassign duties related to juvenile supervision and detention facility operations that currently fall under probation officers' authority.

The measure creates a framework for counties to redistribute juvenile justice functions across their departmental structure. Under the proposed system, boards of supervisors could delegate all or specific portions of probation departments' juvenile-related duties, including oversight of detention facilities and supervision of minors under juvenile court jurisdiction. The delegation authority applies to responsibilities concerning both status offenders and juvenile delinquents as defined in existing state law.

This restructuring option maintains counties' existing juvenile justice obligations while providing flexibility in how they fulfill those duties. The bill preserves the underlying statutory requirements for juvenile supervision and facility operations but removes the mandate that probation departments exclusively perform these functions. County boards would determine which departments receive delegated responsibilities based on local needs and resources.