YLC Opposes Planned Closure of Santa Barbara Juvenile Court
The Youth Law Center and California Rural Legal Assistance Inc. have filed a letter in opposition to the Santa Barbara Superior Court’s plan to close the juvenile court in Santa Barbara and relocate juvenile court proceedings to the Jury Assembly Building. The opposition letter demonstrates that closing the juvenile court will increase the amount of time that young people spend in shackles and increase the risk that the confidentiality of juvenile court proceedings will be compromised. Although the rationale for the proposed closure is cost savings, the opposition letter documents numerous costly modifications that will need to be made to the Jury Assembly Building before it is suitable for use for juvenile hearings. The letter also details problems with the way the Superior Court notified the public about the proposed closure, including a failure to provide a Spanish-language version of the notice.
Letter Opposing Closure of Santa Barbara Juvenile Court