Juvenile Hall

The Monterey County Juvenile Hall is located in Salinas, California. It has a California State Board of Community Corrections maximum capacity of 114 beds.

The Monterey County Juvenile Hall is a short-term detention facility for juveniles awaiting adjudication of their cases. This facility houses youth who are charged with new criminal acts and/or probation violations. While in custody they are under constant supervision of the facility’s juvenile institutions officers. The youth in custody generally fall into these categories:

• Youth pending further investigation immediately after admission.
• Youth detained pending further court proceedings.
• Youth awaiting court-ordered placement.

The juvenile institutions officers, Behavioral Health staff, nursing staff, and teachers who work in Juvenile Hall make every effort to address the male and female youth social, physical, behavioral, psychological, and emotional needs. Their shared goal is to provide services that will help the youth reintegrate back into the community.

The Monterey County Juvenile Hall’s address is 1420 Natividad Road Salinas, California 93906. The phone number is 831-755-3981. Juvenile Hall staff will not provide information about juveniles in custody over the telephone.

Visiting Information

Visitation hours for youths in Bravo Unit occur every Sunday at the following times:
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM // 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM // 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Visitation hours for youths in Bravo Unit occur every Sunday at the following times:
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM // 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM // 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Juvenile Institutions Staff will call to schedule a time that works for them. Visits outside of these hours can be arranges on a case by case basis. 
Holiday visiting hours remains the same except for Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day, which follows the Sunday schedule for all youth in custody.

Some regulations regarding visiting are the following:

• Only parents, grandparents, and legal guardians are permitted to visit. You must bring a valid photo I.D.
• Special visits must be pre-approved through the Juvenile Hall
• Probation Services Manager, Probation Division Director, or the Court.
• When entering the Juvenile Hall you may only bring in your I.D. and keys. If you have money for canteen it must be in a clear plastic bag.
• During regular visiting hours you may bring stamps, magazines or paperback books for your child, please write their first and last name on it with a permanent marker (No Red or Blue ink). The youth are allowed to keep up to (5) books or magazines. Please note that the books or magazines become the property of the Wellington M. Smith, Jr. Juvenile Hall after your child leaves the facility.

Release Information

When the youth is ordered to be released, the probation officer or juvenile institutions supervisor will notify the parent or guardian with the date and time of release. Minors are to be picked up at the juvenile hall lobby. The release procedure can take up to an hour. If the minor is being released to the Monterey County Probation Department Youth Center, their personal clothing will be transferred to the facility. The minor’s belongings will be held at Juvenile Hall for 90 days; an appointment must be made prior to the pick up of the property. The phone number to call to make an appointment is 831-755-3977. If no one answers, please leave a message, providing your first and last name, date of birth and a phone number to contact you.

Programs

Girl Scouts

Subjects covered are self-esteem, image, peer pressure and many more topics which girls face each and every day. The youth are provided with information to continue the program once out of custody. This program is conducted by one of our Juvenile Institution Officer’s and overseen by a member of the Girl Scouts, a Chapter of Monterey County.

Religious Services

Church services are offered Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings. Should a youth of a different faith, wish to speak to a clergyman of his own; the clergyman would have to provide proper documentation before entering the facility.

Alateen

This program helps the youth better understand the affects of alcoholism within the family.

Teen Pregnancy

Cuidate is a small-group, culturally based intervention to reduce HIV sexual risk among Latino youth. The intervention consists of sixty (60) minutes modules delivered to small, mixed-gender groups.

Victim Impact

This program offers youth a look at how crimes affect people. What victims of a crime go through day by day after being victimized.

The Beat Within

This program allows minors to express themselves through writing and art. The program is conducted by volunteers who work with the Beat Within.

Movie Night

Movie night is an incentive program earned by wards who obtain above average weekly points.

Art and Craft Program

The Arts and Craft program is to help inspire creativity and encourage imagination among the youth in custody. Some of the youth participated in a mural project located in the A-unit inner-court wall.

Take the Lead

This program provides the youth with opportunities to train a dog and help the dog get adopted. The program is facilitated by the S.P.C.A. This program teaches the youth responsibility and exposes them to new alternative activities.

Planned Parenthood

The youth are provided with presentations about the reproductive health services, pregnancy, prevention and sexually transmitted infections.

Rape Crisis Center for Girls and Boys

This program provides the youth with education and prevention services regarding sexual assault, boundaries, health relationships and empowerment.

Suicide Prevention

This program provides the youth with outreach presentations which include age appropriate content, resources and materials, dispelling the myths and presenting the facts about suicide.

Child Abuse Prevention

Child Abuse Prevention program, focus is on child abuse, physical, neglect, emotional and sexual abuse. This program teaches the youth on how to recognize possible child abuse and promote positive discipline.

Seven Challenges

The seven challenges program is designed to treat adolescents with drug and other behavioral problems. Rather than using pre-structured sessions, counselors and clients identify the most important issues at the moment and discuss these issues while the counselor seamlessly integrates a set of concepts called the seven challenges into the conversation.

The Monterey County Office of Education provides the youth with the education component. Youth detained at the Juvenile Hall are required to attend school Monday through Friday. The youth can earn credit towards receiving their high school diploma or earn their G.E.D. The youth eligible for taking the G.E.D. test are allowed, to take the test while in the facility.

Juvenile Offenders Community Health Services (JOCHS)

The Monterey County Juvenile Offenders Community Health Services (JOCHS) project is a collaborative re-entry and transition project designed to target youth leaving the Monterey County Juvenile Hall in Salinas, California. Together, Monterey County Probation, Behavioral Health, Department of Social and Employment Services, and County Office of Education have developed a program to assist youth transition from Juvenile Hall back into the community, by ensuring opportunities for education and physical and mental health services. The goal is to inform about, and increase the opportunities available to young offenders, a population that is predominantly comprised of underrepresented low-income Hispanic/Latinos males, by connecting these youth with needed services for their holistic well-being.