County juvenile facilities: pepper spray.

Existing law requires the Board of State and Community Corrections to adopt minimum standards for the operation and maintenance of juvenile halls for the confinement of minors. Existing law requires the judge of the juvenile court of the county to annually inspect any jail or juvenile hall that was used for the confinement of any minor and to notify the operator of the jail or juvenile hall of any observed noncompliance with the minimum standards of the juvenile facility adopted by the board. This bill would require the board to contract with a research entity to conduct a study on the efficacy and impacts of the use of pepper spray in juvenile halls and juvenile ranches, camps, and forestry camps. The bill would require the research entity to satisfy specified requirements, including that it has not previously taken a policy position on, or made recommendations regarding, the use of pepper spray in juvenile facilities, and require the study to examine, at a minimum, specified topics, including the impacts of pepper spray on youth in county juvenile facilities. The bill would require the research entity to submit the study to the board, the Assembly Public Safety Committee, and the Senate Public Safety Committee by January 1, 2022.