ARTICLE 24. Wards and Dependent Children—Juvenile Homes, Ranches and Camps [880. - 893.]

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC 24.

in effect

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 880. Section 880.

In order to provide appropriate facilities for the housing of wards of the juvenile court in the counties of their residence or in adjacent counties so that those wards may be kept under direct supervision of the court, and in order to more advantageously apply the salutary effect of a safe and supportive home and family environment upon them, and also in order to secure a better classification and segregation of those wards according to their capacities, interests, and responsiveness to control and responsibility, and to give better opportunity for reform and encouragement of self-discipline in those wards, juvenile ranches or camps may be established, as provided in this article.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 881. Section 881.

The board of supervisors of any county may, by ordinance, establish juvenile ranches, camps, or forestry camps, within or without the county, to which persons made wards of the court on the ground of fitting the description in Section 602 may be committed. As far as possible, the provisions of this chapter relating to commitments to the probation officer shall apply to commitments to those juvenile facilities, except that where any ward proves to be unfit to remain in any facility, in the opinion of the superintendent or director thereof, the superintendent or director shall make a recommendation to the probation department for consideration for other commitment. Complete operation and authority for the administration shall be vested in the county.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 881.5. Section 881.5.

(a) (1) If a county receives funds pursuant to Section 17602, the county reduces the capacity of its juvenile ranches, camps, or forestry camps below the capacity for those facilities during the 1990–91 fiscal year, and if during the 12-month period subsequent to the month of reduction, there is an increase in the rate of commitments from the county’s juvenile court to the Department of the Youth Authority above the commitments per 100,000 of the county’s juvenile population, aged 12 to 17 years, during the 1990–91 fiscal year, the county shall contribute to the Department of the Youth Authority an amount equivalent to the actual cost, as determined by the Department of the Youth Authority. (2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a county of the fifth class, for reductions in the capacity of its juvenile ranches, camps, or forestry camps that were made prior to January 1, 1993, if the reductions were due to fiscal constraints. (b) Any county that provides juvenile ranch or camp space to another county pursuant to contract shall contribute to the Department of the Youth Authority an amount equivalent to the actual costs associated with any increase in the rate of commitments to which subdivision (a) applies, per 100,000, by the county’s juvenile court to the Department of the Youth Authority above the rate of commitments during the 1991–92 fiscal year that are not attributable to a reduced capacity in juvenile ranches, camps, or forestry camps. (c) The Department of the Youth Authority may notify the Controller of any county or counties that have experienced an increase in the rate of commitments for purposes of recovering the costs associated with that increase. Upon receiving this notice, the Controller shall redirect, from the funds that are provided to that county or counties pursuant to Section 17602, an amount equal to the costs associated with the increased commitments. Within 30 days of the notification of the Controller the Department of the Youth Authority shall also notify each county from which they are seeking reimbursement pursuant to subdivision (b).

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 883. Section 883.

The wards committed to ranches, camps, or forestry camps may be required to labor on the buildings and grounds thereof, on the making of forest roads for fire prevention or firefighting, on forestation or reforestation of public lands, or on the making of firetrails or firebreaks, or to perform any other work or engage in any studies or activities on or off of the grounds of those ranches, camps, or forestry camps prescribed by the probation department, subject to such approval as the county board of supervisors by ordinance requires. Wards may not be required to labor in fire suppression when under the age of 16 years. Wards between the ages of 16 years and 18 years may be required to labor in fire suppression if all of the following conditions are met: (a) The parent or guardian of the ward has given permission for that labor by the ward. (b) The ward has completed 80 hours of training in forest firefighting and fire safety, including, but not limited to, the handling of equipment and chemicals, survival techniques, and first aid. Whenever any ward committed to a camp is engaged in fire prevention work or the suppression of existing fires, he or she shall be subject to worker’s compensation benefits to the same extent as a county employee, and the board of supervisors shall provide and cover any ward committed to a camp while performing that service, with accident, death and compensation insurance as is otherwise regularly provided for employees of the county.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 884. Section 884.

The board of supervisors may provide for the payment of wages and pay such wages from the treasury of such county to the wards for the work they do, the sums earned to be paid in reparation, or to the parents or dependents of the ward, or to the ward himself, in such manner and in such proportions as the court directs.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 885. Section 885.

(a) The Board of State and Community Corrections shall adopt and prescribe the minimum standards of construction, operation, programs of education and training, and qualifications of personnel for juvenile ranches, camps, or forestry camps established under Section 881. (b) The Board of State and Community Corrections shall conduct a biennial inspection of each juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp situated in this state in accordance with Section 209 that, during the preceding calendar year, was used for confinement of any minor for more than 24 hours. (c) The custodian of each juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp shall make any reports that may be required by the board to effectuate the purposes of this section.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 886. Section 886.

Except as provided in Section 886.5, no juvenile home, ranch, camp, or forestry camp established pursuant to the provisions of this article shall receive or contain more than 100 children at any one time.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 886.5. Section 886.5.

(a) A juvenile home, ranch, camp, or forestry camp may receive or contain a maximum of 125 children at any one time if the county has determined that there is a consistent need for juvenile home, ranch, camp, or forestry camp placements which exceeds the beds available in the county. Any county desiring to expand the capacity of a juvenile home, ranch, camp, or forestry camp pursuant to this section shall certify to the Board of Corrections that the facility to be expanded will continue to meet the minimum standards adopted and prescribed pursuant to Section 885 during the period of expanded capacity. (b) (1) The Legislature reaffirms its belief that juvenile ranches, camps, forestry camps, and other residential treatment facilities should be small enough to provide individualized guidance and treatment for juvenile offenders which enables them to return to their families and communities as productive and law abiding citizens. Consistent with this principle and upon demonstration of exceptional need, a juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp may receive or contain a maximum population in excess of 125 children at any one time if the Board of Corrections has approved that expanded capacity pursuant to the following procedure: (A) The county shall submit an application to the Board of Corrections, endorsed by the board of supervisors, identifying the capacity requested and the reasons why the additional capacity is needed. The application shall include the county’s plan to ensure that the facility will, with the additional capacity, comply with applicable minimum standards and maintain adequate levels of onsite staffing, program, and other services for children in the facility. (B) The Board of Corrections shall review any application received under this subdivision and shall approve or deny the application based on a determination whether the county has demonstrated its ability to comply with minimum standards and maintain adequate staffing, program, and service levels for children in the expanded facility. In its review, the board shall consider any public comment that may be submitted while the application is pending. The board may approve an application with conditions, including a capacity below the requested number, remodeling or expansion of units or living quarters, staffing ratios in excess of those required by minimum standards, or other adjustments of program or procedure deemed appropriate by the board for a facility operating with a capacity in excess of 125 children. The board shall ensure that the staffing, program, and service levels are increased commensurate with the increased risks to residents and the staff that are a result of the expanded capacity. (2) Notwithstanding the inspection schedule set forth in Section 885, the board shall conduct an annual inspection of any facility whose application for expanded capacity under this subdivision is approved. The approval to operate at a capacity above 125 children shall terminate, and the facility shall not thereafter receive or contain more than 125 children, if the board determines after any annual inspection that the facility is not in compliance with minimum standards, that program, staffing, or service levels for children in the expanded facility have not been maintained, or that the county has failed substantially to comply with a condition that was attached to the board’s approval of the expanded capacity. (c) The board may provide forms and instructions to local jurisdictions to facilitate compliance with this section.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 888. Section 888.

Any county establishing a juvenile ranch or camp under the provisions of this article may, by mutual agreement, accept children committed to that ranch or camp by the juvenile court of another county in the state. Two or more counties may, by mutual agreement, establish juvenile ranches or camps, and the rights granted and duties imposed by this article shall devolve upon those counties acting jointly. The provisions of this article shall not apply to any juvenile hall.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 889. Section 889.

The board of education shall provide for the administration and operation of public schools in any juvenile hall, day center, ranch, camp, regional youth educational facility, or Orange County youth correctional center in existence and providing services prior to the effective date of the amendments to this section made by the Statutes of 1989, established pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 48645) of Chapter 4 of Part 27 of the Education Code, or Article 9 (commencing with Section 1850) of Chapter 1 of Division 2.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 889.1. Section 889.1.

(a) (1) Minors detained in or committed to a juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp shall be provided with access to computer technology and the Internet for the purposes of education. (2) Minors detained in or committed to a juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp may be provided with access to computer technology and the Internet for maintaining relationships with family. (b) This section does not limit the authority of the chief probation officer, or his or her designee, to limit or deny access to computer technology or the Internet for safety and security or staffing reasons.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 889.2. Section 889.2.

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that juveniles with a high school diploma or California high school equivalency certificate who are detained in, or committed to, a secure youth treatment facility, juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp shall have access to rigorous postsecondary academic and career technical education programs that fulfill the requirements for transfer to the University of California and the California State University and prepare them for career entry, respectively. (b) (1) A county probation department in collaboration with a county office of education, and in partnership with the California Community Colleges or the California State University, or in voluntary partnership the University of California, shall ensure that juveniles with a high school diploma or California high school equivalency certificate who are detained in, or committed to, a secure youth treatment facility, juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp have access to, and can choose to participate in, public postsecondary academic and career technical courses and programs, including courses and programs offered online through asynchronous and synchronous instruction or in-person instruction, and for which they are eligible based on eligibility criteria and course schedules of the in-county, to the extent possible, public postsecondary education campus providing the course or program. County probation departments, in coordination with county offices of education, may use juvenile court school classrooms and computers, in accordance with agreements entered into pursuant to Section 48646 of the Education Code, for the purpose of implementing this section. County probation departments are also encouraged to develop other educational partnerships with local public postsecondary campuses, as is feasible, to provide programs on campus and onsite at the secure youth treatment facility, juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp and, to the extent offered by a California community college, the California State University, or the University of California, the probation department, in collaboration with the county office of education, shall ensure that juveniles have access to programs and dual enrollment options offered on campus and onsite at the secure youth treatment facility, juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp. (2) These programs shall be considered part of the current responsibilities of the county probation department to provide and coordinate services for juveniles that enable the juveniles to be law-abiding and productive members of their families and communities. (c) For purposes of this section, “juvenile” means any person detained in, or committed to, a secure youth treatment facility, juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp. (d) This section does not preclude juvenile court school pupils who have not yet completed their high school graduation requirements from concurrently participating in postsecondary academic and career technical education programs.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 891. Section 891.

(a) From any state moneys made available to it for that purpose, the Youth Authority shall share in the cost pursuant to this article of the construction of juvenile ranch camps or forestry camps established after July 1, 1957, and for construction at existing juvenile ranches, camps, or forestry camps, by counties that apply therefor. (b) “Construction,” as used in this section, includes construction of new buildings and acquisition of existing buildings and initial equipment of any of those buildings; and, to the extent provided for in regulations adopted by the Department of the Youth Authority, remodeling of existing buildings owned by the county, to serve the purposes of a juvenile ranch camp or forestry camp, and initial equipment thereof. “Construction” also includes payments made by a county under any lease-purchase agreement or similar arrangement authorized by law and payments for the necessary repair or improvements of property which is leased from the federal government or other public entity without cost to the county for a term of not less than 10 years. It does not include architects’ fees or the cost of land acquisition. (c) The amount of state assistance that shall be provided to any county shall not exceed 50 percent of the project cost approved by the Youth Authority, and, in no event shall it exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000) per bed unit of the new juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp or per bed unit added to an existing juvenile ranch camp, or forestry camp, as the case may be. The construction project shall be deemed to have as many bed units as the number of persons it is designed to accommodate, not exceeding 100 bed units for any one project. (d) Application for state assistance for construction funds under this article shall be made to the Youth Authority in the manner and form prescribed by the Youth Authority. The Youth Authority shall prescribe the time and manner of payment of state assistance, if granted.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 892. Section 892.

(a) From any state moneys made available to it for that purpose, the Youth Authority shall provide state assistance pursuant to this section to defray, in whole or part, the cost of construction of border check station facilities by any city which applies therefor. “City” as used in this section means any city with a population in excess of 500,000 as determined by the last decennial census, all or part of the boundaries of which are contiguous with the boundaries of a foreign country adjoining this state. (b) “Construction,” as used in this section, includes construction of new buildings and acquisition of existing buildings and initial equipment of any such buildings to serve as a border check station facility. It does not include the cost of land acquisition. (c) The amount of state assistance which shall be provided to any city shall not exceed 100 percent of the project cost approved by the Youth Authority, and, in no event shall it exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for any one project. (d) Application for state assistance for construction funds under this section shall be made to the Youth Authority in the manner and form prescribed by the Youth Authority. The Youth Authority shall prescribe the time and manner of payment of state assistance, if granted. (e) The Youth Authority shall adopt and prescribe the minimum standards of construction for such border check station facility. No city shall be entitled to receive any state funds provided for in this section unless and until the minimum standards and qualifications referred to in this section are complied with by such city. Type and standards of construction shall be approved by the city architect’s office, city department of public works, or such city department having jurisdiction over public construction.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 893. Section 893.

(a) The board of supervisors of any county with a population of five million or more may provide and maintain a school or schools at a juvenile ranch or camp or residential or nonresidential boot camp under the control of the probation officer for the purpose of meeting the special educational needs of wards and dependent children of the juvenile court. The school or schools shall be conducted in a manner and under conditions that will minister to the specific individualized educational and training needs of each ward and dependent child in furtherance of the objective of assisting each of them, as much as possible, to fulfill his or her potential to be a contributing, law-abiding member of society. If the board of supervisors determines that this objective may be promoted as well as or better by provision of educational and training services by a qualified private organization, the board of supervisors on behalf of the county may enter into annual contracts, with or without options to renew, for the provision of those services by that organization. (b) The Legislature hereby finds and determines that there are persons whose educational and vocational backgrounds and personal leadership qualities peculiarly fit them to instruct and train wards of the court in promotion of the aforesaid objective, but who lack certification qualifications. Accordingly, the probation officer is hereby authorized to certify to the county board of education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction that a person employed or to be employed by the probation officer or by an organization retained by contract to provide vocational training or vocational training courses at or in connection with the school or schools is peculiarly fit to provide wards of the court that vocational training in promotion of the aforesaid objective. The certification shall specify the type or types of service the person is qualified to provide. Upon filing of that certification, the person shall be deemed to be a certificated employee for purposes of authorizing him or her to provide the services described in the certificate and for apportionment purposes. (c) The individual school or schools shall have a maximum enrollment of 100 students. (d) The county superintendent of schools shall report on behalf of the county the average daily attendance for the schools and classes maintained by the county in the school or schools in the manner provided in Sections 41601 and 84701 of the Education Code and other provisions of law. (e) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall compute the amount of allowance to be made to the county by reasons of the average daily attendance at the school or schools by multiplying the average daily attendance by the foundation program amount for a high school district that has an average daily attendance of 301 or more during the fiscal year, and shall make allowances based thereon and shall apportion to the county, the allowances so computed in the same manner and at the same times as would be done with respect to allowances and apportionments to the county school service fund.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026