About In Our Care

We are a community group devoted to honoring the humanity of youth involved in the legal system. We are supporting the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission (JJDPC), which has oversight and advocacy responsibility for children in the juvenile legal system. 

We’re currently focused on two primary issues:

The Youth Services Center (Juvenile Hall)

San Mateo County Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Commission’s 2022 inspection report found numerous issues with the administration and practices of the Youth Services Center. We call on the county to fix the inadequate and inhumane conditions there.

Charging Decisions

The San Mateo County District Attorney has a practice of charging children as adults. Research shows a multitude of adverse impacts on kids when they are prosecuted as adults, as well as on the community—children prosecuted as adults are more likely to reoffend. Youth of color are tried as adults more often, despite research showing no disparities in adolescent development across racial or ethnic groups. We call on San Mateo County to end the practice of charging children as adults.