(c) The office shall have the responsibility and authority to do all of the following:

1. (1) Once data becomes available as a result of the plan developed to Section 13015 of the Penal Code, develop a report on youth outcomes in the juvenile justice system.
2. (2) Identify policy recommendations for improved outcomes and integrated programs and services to best support delinquent youth.
3. (3) Identify and disseminate best practices to help inform rehabilitative and restorative youth practices, including education, diversion, re-entry, religious and victims’ services.
4. (4) Provide technical assistance as requested to develop and expand local youth diversion opportunities to meet the varied needs of the delinquent youth population, including but not limited to sex offender, substance abuse, and mental health treatment.
5. (5) Report annually on the work of the Office of Youth and Community Restoration.

6. (6)

   1. (A) Develop an annual report on chronic absenteeism rates in juvenile court schools at juvenile facilities. The office may work with the State Department of Education and county offices of education to include data for all juvenile court schools.
   2. (B) Subject to available funding, investigate the reasons for absenteeism at juvenile court schools with chronic absenteeism rates of 15 percent or more, including, but not limited to, an investigation of whether the juvenile facility has provided sufficient staff to support transportation and access to educational services and whether policies or practices have been implemented that withhold educational services from youth as a means of individual or group punishment. The office shall include a summary of the findings of any investigation it conducts in the annual report.
   3. (C) Subject to available funding, if, after an investigation, the office determines that insufficient staff, transportation, punitive policies, or any policies under the juvenile facility’s control are contributing to chronic absenteeism rates, provide technical assistance to ameliorate the identified causes of the chronic absenteeism.

(d) The office shall have an ombudsperson, who has the authority to do all of the following:

1. (1) Investigate complaints from youth.
2. (2) Decide, in its discretion, whether to investigate complaints from youth who are detained in the, or committed to, juvenile facilities, families, staff, and others about harmful conditions or practices, violations of laws and regulations governing facilities, and circumstances presenting an emergency situation, or refer complaints to another body for investigation.
3. (3) Publish and provide regular reports to the Legislature about complaints received and subsequent findings and actions taken, pursuant to Section 2200.5.
4. (4) Have access to, and make copies of any record of a local agency, and contractors with local agencies, including, but not limited to, all juvenile facility records, at all times, except personnel records legally required to be kept confidential. Access to records shall be in accordance with existing law and rules of court governing juvenile confidentiality and all other applicable laws.
5. (5) Meet or communicate privately with any youth, personnel, or volunteer in a juvenile facility and premises within the control of a county or local agency, or a contractor with a county or local agency, and may interview any relevant witnesses. The ombudsperson may interview sworn probation personnel in accordance with applicable federal and state law, local probation department policies, and collective bargaining agreements. The ombudsperson shall be granted access to youth at all times, and may take notes, audio or video recording, or photographs during the meeting or communication with youth, to the extent not otherwise prohibited by applicable federal or state law. The ombudsperson shall be permitted to carry with them and use the equipment necessary to document the meeting or communication with youth as described in this section, to the extent not otherwise prohibited by applicable federal or state law. Access shall be in accordance with existing law and rules of court governing juvenile confidentiality and all other applicable laws.
6. (6) Disseminate information and provide training and technical assistance to youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system, social workers, probation officers, tribal child welfare agencies, child welfare organizations, children’s and youth advocacy groups, consumer and service provider organizations, and other interested parties on the rights of youth involved in the juvenile justice system and the services provided by the ombudsperson. The rights shall include rights set forth in federal and state law and regulations for youth detained in or committed to juvenile justice facilities. The information shall include methods of contacting the ombudsperson and notification that conversations with the office may be disclosed to other persons, as necessary to adequately investigate and resolve a complaint.
7. (7) Access, visit, and observe juvenile facilities and premises within the control of a county, or local agency, or a contractor with a county, or local agency, serving youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The ombudsperson shall be granted access to the facilities at any time with or without prior notice.
8. (8) For purposes of this section, “record” means documents, papers, memoranda, logs, reports, letters, calendars, schedules, notes, files, drawings, and electronic content, including, but not limited to, videos, photographs, blogs, video blogs, instant and text messages, email, or other items developed or received under law or in connection with the transaction of official business, but does not include material that is protected by privilege.
9. (9) Ombudsperson staff shall conduct a site visit to every juvenile facility and premises within the control of a county or local agency, or a contractor with a county or local agency, no less frequently than once per year.

(g)

1. (1) The Office of Youth and Community Restoration shall evaluate the efficacy of local programs being utilized for realigned youth. No later than July 1, 2025, the office shall report its findings to the Governor and the Legislature.

2. (2) To meet the need to monitor and evaluate local responses for youth realigned to counties from the Division of Juvenile Justice, the Office of Youth and Community Restoration shall collect the data described in this paragraph not less frequently than two times per year. Commencing no later than April 1, 2025, for the reporting period from July 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024, and no later than October 1, 2025, for the reporting period from January 1, 2025, through June 30, 2025, and on this schedule every six months thereafter through October 1, 2029, county probation departments shall provide the office with the data described in this paragraph in a format designated by the office. The office shall publish a report of state and county findings not less frequently than annually. The submissions by county probation departments to the office shall include all of the following, disaggregated by gender, age, and race or ethnicity:

   1. (A) Number of youth and their most serious commitment offense, if known, who are under the county’s supervision who are committed to a secure youth treatment facility, including youth committed to secure youth treatment facilities in another county.
   2. (B) Number of individual youth in the county who were adjudicated for an offense pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 707 of this code or Section 290.008 of the Penal Code.
   3. (C) Number of youth, including their commitment offense or offenses, if known, transferred from a secure youth treatment facility to a less restrictive program under the terms and provisions of subdivision (f) of Section 875, disaggregated by program description, as defined by the office.
   4. (D) Number of youth for whom a hearing to transfer jurisdiction to an adult criminal court was held, and the number of youth whose jurisdiction was transferred to adult criminal court.
3. (3) The reporting and data collection provisions of paragraph (2) shall become inoperative on January 1, 2030.
4. (4) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), for the purposes of paragraph (2), the office may, if it deems it appropriate, implement, interpret, or make specific paragraph (2) by means of written guidelines or similar instructions from the office.