An Act to direct the Department of Juvenile Justice to establish standards relating to limiting room or cell confinement for minors committed to a juvenile correctional facility; report.
HB91 directs the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice to establish standards aimed at reducing the amount of time minors committed to juvenile correctional facilities spend confined to their rooms or cells. The bill requires the Department, working with juvenile justice advocates, public defenders, prosecutors, and other stakeholders, to study the psychological, social, developmental, and behavioral effects of limiting confinement before setting those standards.
The Department must develop a minimum number of hours per day that committed minors spend out of confinement and ensure that facilities provide programming tailored to the needs, interests, and goals of the youth. The bill also requires staff training in trauma-informed care and youth development, collaboration with community organizations and businesses, and collection of participation data to monitor compliance and outcomes. A report with the collected data and recommendations must be submitted by November 1, 2026.
The bill creates a new directive for the Department of Juvenile Justice to adopt statewide standards governing room or cell confinement for minors in juvenile correctional facilities. It does not itself set the minimum hours or detailed operational rules, but it requires the Department to study the issue, establish those standards, and report on implementation and outcomes. The measure affects juvenile correctional facility operations, staff training, programming requirements, and data collection practices, and it may influence how confinement, rehabilitation, and reentry services are administered for committed youth.
The bill appears generally supportive of reforming juvenile confinement practices and emphasizing rehabilitation, youth development, and reentry preparation. Its text reflects a policy preference for limiting isolation and increasing structured programming rather than relying on extended room or cell confinement. No committee transcript or recorded vote information was provided, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or debate in the available materials.
The main policy tension in HB91 is between reducing room or cell confinement for minors and maintaining safety and order within juvenile correctional facilities. The bill explicitly requires the Department to consider the impact of reduced confinement on facility safety, suggesting that stakeholders may differ on how far and how quickly limits should be imposed. Potential points of contention also include the feasibility of staffing, programming, and community partnerships needed to meet the new standards, as well as how much discretion the Department should retain in setting the minimum out-of-cell hours.