1. (a) Pursuant to § 1-204.04(b), the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services is established as a separate Cabinet-level agency, subordinate to the Mayor, within the executive branch of the government of the District of Columbia. The Department shall lead the reform of the District’s juvenile justice system by coordinating the collaborative efforts of government agencies, contracted providers, labor, and community leaders to:

   1. (1) Improve the security, supervision, and rehabilitation services provided to committed and detained juvenile offenders and Persons in Need of Supervision (“PINS”);
   2. (2) Develop and maintain a holistic, family-oriented approach to the provision of youth services that emphasizes youth and parental responsibility so as to reduce juvenile crime, delinquency, and recidivism; and
   3. (3) Develop and maintain state-of-the-art service programs, delivery systems, and facilities that will transform the District’s juvenile justice system into a national model.
2. (b) The Department shall be headed by a Director, who shall report to the Mayor. The Director shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council, pursuant to § 1-523.01(a).
3. (c) The Director shall have a minimum education of a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice, Social Work, or some related field, or shall possess equivalent work-related experience in the management of juvenile justice programs.
4. (d) The Director shall have authority over the Department, its functions, and personnel, including the power to re-delegate to employees authority as, in the judgment of the Director, is warranted in the interests of efficiency and sound administration.
5. (e) The Director shall have authority to organize and reorganize the personnel and property transferred herein within any organizational unit of the Department, including creating offices within the Department, as necessary, and exercising any other powers necessary and appropriate to implement the provisions of this subchapter.
6. (f) The Director shall have authority to implement an aggressive, District-wide program of reform within the juvenile justice system that leads to a system that can serve as a nationwide model.

Editor's Notes

“(3) The amount of money obtained from Medicaid.”

“(2) The number of applications approved for Medicaid; and

“(1) The number of applications submitted for Medicaid;

“Beginning February 1, 2012, DYRS shall issue quarterly reports on the status of the Money Follows the Person program. The report shall include the following:

“Sec. 5064. Quarterly report on status of Medicaid eligibility.

“(4) The daily rate that the centers are charging the District.”

“(3) The number of miles the centers are located outside of the District; and

“(2) The location of the centers;

“(1) The name of the centers;

“(c) DYRS shall provide to the Council a quarterly census report on DYRS youth placed in PRTFs and RTCs. The report shall include the following:

“(b) No later than December 16, 2011, DYRS shall transmit to the Council a report summarizing the findings of the study, which shall include action items.

“(8) Other factors that DYRS determines to be significant.

“(7) The reason for current placement; and

“(6) The past community-based service provision;

“(5) The substance abuse issues;

“(4) The behavioral health issues;

“(3) The risk profile of the youths;

“(2) The offense history of the youths;

“(1) The population based on demographic characteristics of youth;

“(a) DYRS shall conduct a study of DYRS youths in psychiatric residential treatment facilities ( ‘PRTFs’) and residential treatment centers (’RTCs’). The study shall evaluate the following:

“Sec. 5063. Report on Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services youths in psychiatric residential treatment facilities and residential treatment centers.

“No later than December 16, 2011, the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (’DYRS’) shall transmit to the Council a report summarizing the results and action items from the Request for Information concerning establishing in-patient drug treatment programs within 50 miles of the District.”

“Sec. 5062. Report on Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services plans to reduce residential placements outside of the District.

Sections 5062 to 5064 of D.C. Law 19-21 provided:

Section 5 of D.C. Law 25-321 provided: 5 Unified juvenile justice system plan. (a) No later than one year after the applicability date of this section, the Mayor shall submit to the Council a proposed plan to create a unified juvenile justice system in the District of Columbia. The plan shall include: (1) A list and detailed explanation of recommended actions that would enable the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services to perform the intake, evaluation, predisposition supervision, and probation duties currently performed by the Court Social Services Division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia; (2) A timeline for when the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services could reasonably implement the actions listed pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection; (3) A detailed list of resources necessary to enable the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services to perform the intake, evaluation, predisposition supervision, and probation duties currently performed by the Court Social Services Division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, including additional personnel, equipment, assessments, office space, and other material resources; and (4) Any statutory changes necessary to enable the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services to perform the intake, evaluation, predisposition supervision, and probation duties currently handled by the Court Social Services Division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. (b) In developing the plan required pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the Mayor shall consult with, and consider any recommendations of, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. The plan shall include, as an attachment, any written recommendations submitted by these agencies and organizations.

Section 6 of D.C. Law 25-321 provided: 6 Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility plan. (a) No later than 6 months after [March 28, 2025], the Mayor shall submit to the Council a plan for the construction or adaptation of existing government-owned structures to operate a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility for youth in the District of Columbia. The plan, at a minimum, shall include: (1) Detailed costs necessary to construct and operate a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility for youth in the District of Columbia, including reimbursement rates; (2) A proposed timeline for the construction of the Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility; and (3) A plan for how the facility will integrate with existing systems of care and community-based services to ensure continuity of treatment and support for youth upon discharge.

History

Apr. 12, 2005, D.C. Law 15-335, § 102, 52 DCR 2025

Short Title

Short title: Section 5061 of D.C. Law 19-21 provided that subtitle G of title V of the act may be cited as “Increase Local Capacity to Serve DYRS Committed Youth Act of 2011”.

Emergency Legislation

For temporary (90 days) addition, of provisions concerning a juvenile drug screening and drug treatment diversion plan, see § 513 of the Omnibus Criminal Code Amendments Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-44, April 1, 2013, 60 DCR 5381, 20 DCSTAT 1281).

For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 102 of Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services Establishment Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2005 (D.C. Act 16-58, March 17, 2005, 52 DCR 3182).

For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 102 of Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services Establishment Emergency Act of 2004 (D.C. Act 15-657, December 29, 2004, 52 DCR 481).

Section References

This section is referenced in § 2-1515.03.