JLARC study finds oversight of Department of Juvenile Justice should not change

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to consider a change in oversight of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice has recommended that no transfer be made.

The department operates Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center, located in Chesterfield County, which houses youth ranging from about 14 to 20 years old who have been committed by the juvenile court for crimes ranging from misdemeanors to felonies. It's the state's only facility for housing convicted youth.

The department also serves as the regulatory agency for 24 juvenile detention centers operated by local governments and multijurisdictional commissions throughout the state.

JLARC's study, released in June of 2025, began in November of 2023 when it directed its staff to review the potential transfer of the department from being overseen by the Secretariat of Public Safety and Homeland Security to being under the purview of the Secretariat of Health and Human Resources.

According to the commission, the study found that rehabilitative services available to youth in the juvenile justice system are similar to those provided by health and human resources agencies.

The study further found that some previous recommended improvements to youth services in detention centers and at Bon Air from JLARC's 2021 study have not been fully implemented.

Staffing shortages, specifically, which were highlighted in the 2021 study, may impact rehabilitative services to some extent, though the department said most youth can complete core rehabilitative programs, including aggression management and substance abuse, before their release date.

Other aspects highlighted in the 2021 study, which were not mentioned in JLARC's 2025 study of the department, included racial disparities and recidivism -- which refers to when residents are re-convicted shortly after being released.

In addition, the study found that the department and HHR agencies being in different secretariats does not appear to hinder coordination.

The study also took a look at systems in other states and found that there was no conclusive evidence that organizational placement affects rehabilitative outcomes or access to services for youth in the system. Other factors like leadership policies, procedures, goals, funding and approaches to cross-agency collaboration are reportedly more effective.

Another finding was that transferring the department to the HHR secretariat would not improve access to services, and in fact, the transfer could disrupt the department's public safety mission.

Since the department frequently coordinates with and shares information with agencies like the Virginia Department of Corrections, Virginia State Police and local law enforcement, the study said public safety officials have shared concerns regarding their ability to communicate with the department if it were removed from the secretariat and further separated from other public safety agencies.

The transfer would reportedly entail minimal to no costs, though, the study found.

Instead of transferring the department to another secretariat, the study said other strategies may better achieve the goals of improving services for youth and communication between the department and HHR agencies, including the following:

• Codifying a Children's Cabinet to ensure coordination between the department and HHR agencies
• Increasing funding for the Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act to support youth services
• Increasing funding to have community services board mental health workers in all of the department's court service units throughout the state, as 10 are currently without
• Fully implementing recommendations from previous JLARC reports, including improvements to rehabilitative programming for youth from the 2021 report and requiring Children Services Act programs to serve youth under the non-mandated category, which includes some youth in the juvenile justice system from the 2020 report

The only recommendation provided to the department as a result of the study is to track data on rehabilitative services youth receive to evaluate access to services and identify whether changes are needed.

The department has come under scrutiny in recent months from state lawmakers following multiple fires started by residents at the Bon Air facility, as well as disturbances, other incidents, and a former corrections officer being charged with sexually assaulting a juvenile female resident.

As a result of that scrutiny and a letter urging Governor Glenn Youngkin's Office to greenlight an independent investigation of the Bon Air facility, the State Office of the Inspector General (OSIG) announced it would initiate a special review that includes touring the facility, interviewing staff members and taking a look at operations, staffing, programming and mental health service.

That OSIG review, which will also include a plan of action and recommendations, will reportedly be distributed to Youngkin's office, the Commission on Youth, the General Assembly and the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security by Dec. 1.

With the JLARC report releasing its findings, 8News reached out to OSIG for possible updates to its special review. The article will be updated with that response.