There's been a lot of talk recently about reimagining juvenile justice in California.

But what exactly does that look like?

Chet Hewitt, CEO of Sierra Health Foundation, describes their L.A. program.

Let's talk a little about the positive youth justice initiative About our positive youth justice work-- It is, in fact, designed to bring people together to talk about policy and practice.

This is a system that has been harming children since 1859.

That, fifteen years ago, had 10,000 kids in it.

And because of ongoing reforms, is now down to 800.

We know that 75% of kids who are engaged in juvenile justice systems usually have experienced some level of childhood trauma.

Then our approach to making or creating spaces that are safer would look very different than both the policies and the practices we employ today.

One of the things we're most proud of is that we trained over 2,000 probation officers in trauma- informed care.

Adolescent young people don't have a good sense of future consequences.

Many years ago, I was one of those kids.

At 16 years old, I was incarcerated with adults in the famed Riker's Island Prison.

I have seen things that I have never told anybody in my life.

When I came home, I remember talking to Richard Fenelli & Wayne Derrick and I said, "You know, why would you want to give me a job?"

an d they said to me, "You need it."

And those things are actually more likely to produce a lower rate of recitivism.

You have to be very careful, not to see the police go away, but not having police doing things like responding to mental health crises.

We should be funding mental health services to actually do that.

Th ere are certain things you can't do in large congrugate- care facilities that are easier to be done locally.

like maintaining relationships with familes.

That's how adults care for chidren.

We don't simply see them at their worst.

You can learn more about juvenile justice on our website For PBS SoCal, I'm Bonnie Boswell.