The Division of Juvenile Justice Services (DJJS) is a division within the Department of Human Services but is assigned to the Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee for legislative oversight. Prior to FY 2004, it was known as the Division of Youth Corrections.
During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature appropriated for Fiscal Year 2016, $97,318,000 from all sources for Juvenile Justice Services. This is a 1.3 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2015 revised estimated amounts from all sources. The total includes $91,914,100 from the General/Education Funds, an increase of 3 percent from revised Fiscal Year 2015 estimates.
In addition to statewide compensation and internal service fund cost increases, the following appropriation adjustments were made during the 2015 General Session:
The following are performance measures tracked within this organization.
- Number and value of volunteer hours
- Quality assurance measurement of contracted JJS providers
- Top indicators of success of Juvenile Justice Services
- Percent of youth completing the program without a new felony charge within 90 days
- Percent of youth released to a parent or adult guardian
- Percent of youth where assessment disposition recommendations are followed by the Court
- Percent of youth who avoid a new disposition for DCFS custody, DJJS custody, or juvenile court within 90 days of release
- Percent of youth without a new felony charge within 90 days of release
- Top indicators of success in Early Intervention Services
The federal government continues to examine and redefine Medicaid eligibility. New requirements, outlined in FY 2008, and effective beginning in FY 2011, have resulted in an approximate $8.9 million reduction in DJJS federal funding. These changes prohibited Medicaid reimbursement for services delivered in facilities that exceeded 16 beds, eliminating many previously eligible DJJS treatment providers. Services were also unbundled and only direct treatment services could be billed to the federal government, leaving DJJS and providers to cover other costs such as the care and feeding of youths. A summary of this federal Medicaid issue is provided in the Issue Brief titled Loss of Federal Medicaid Funds for Children and Youth Residential Care.
DJJS is responsible for all youth offenders committed by the state's Juvenile Court for secure confinement or supervision and treatment in the community. DJJS also operates receiving centers and youth services centers for non-custodial and/or non-adjudicated youth, as well as shelter beds for children removed from their home due to suspected abuse and neglect. Other services include diversion, work programs, home detention, secure detention, case management, community services, observation and assessment, long-term secure facilities, transition, and youth parole.
Programs within the Division of Juvenile Justice Services include:
- Administration
- Early Intervention Services
- Community Programs
- Correctional Facilities
- Rural Programs
- Youth Parole Authority
The primary source of funding is state General Fund. The large difference in the 'Transfers - Medicaid' line below, beginning in FY 2011, is a result of the federal changes to Medicaid reimbursements; (see 'Background' section above for more detail). The Medicaid funding DJJS does qualify for is now recorded in the Department of Health. DJJS continues to record its state match portion for payments to service providers - this state match amount is shown as a negative revenue in the DJJS budget under Transfers-Health.
COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.