April 10 Support for SB 1157 (Archuleta): Juvenile justice, access to youth treatment facilities

April 10^th, 2026

Senator Archuleta

1021 O Street, Suite 6620

Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: SB 1157 Juveniles: secure youth treatment facilities – support 

Dear Senator Archuleta,

On behalf of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, I write in support of your authored bill, SB 1157, that would close critical gaps created by the closure of the state youth facilities. We support the measures of SB 1157 to authorize county probation departments to refer youth in a county Secure Youth Treatment Facility (SYTF) to the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) for specialized care and establishes a safety framework for specified Less Restrictive Programs (LRPs).

This statutory authority is necessary as, while infrequent, there are instances where a youth’s behavioral health needs are so significant as to require treatment beyond the scope of what is available in juvenile detention facilities, and which may only be adequately and appropriately provided in a locked behavioral health facility.

Despite the establishment of LRPs as an option for courts to consider upon progress of a youth, statute does not establish a framework when the program is for a residential setting when that setting is not otherwise governed or regulated by a government or public entity. Because these programs are part of the term of secure detention, and not a part of post jurisdiction or release, it’s critical that there is a framework in place to set programming expectations, safety considerations, and liability concerns for programs serving the highest risk and highest need youth and young adults in the state.

For these reasons, the County of Marin supports SB 1157 to resolve unaddressed issues resulting from the enactment of the closure of the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and to ensure that mental health services and programmatic frameworks are in place to best serve these youth and young adults and the safety of the community. Thank you for your leadership on this issue.

Sincerely,

Eric Lucan, President
Marin County Board of Supervisors

CC:       Marin County Board of Supervisors

Assemblymember Damon Connolly

Senator Mike McGuire