In the hills of Kearny Mesa, San Diego County has quietly built one of the most innovative youth detention campuses in the United States. The Youth Transition Campus (YTC), a $210 million facility completed in phases between 2021 and 2024, is not just a new building—it’s a complete reimagining of what juvenile justice can be when well-being, dignity, and healing are placed at the forefront.
Designed to replace the outdated Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility, YTC is grounded in trauma-informed care, restorative justice, and youth development principles. Focusing on supporting the physical and emotional health of youth and staff, the Campus signals a seismic shift from punitive models to environments that emphasize growth, accountability, and community reintegration.
Design Rooted in Dignity
YTC’s design team, including national leaders in justice facility planning, spent years studying best practices to develop a facility that meets youth where they are—physically, emotionally, and developmentally. Instead of institutional cells, YTC features cottage-style living units with individual sleeping rooms, private bathrooms, and communal living areas designed to feel more like a residence than a detention center. These elements are not aesthetic luxuries but intentional choices meant to promote privacy, autonomy, and emotional safety.
Natural light floods every room through oversized windows. Calming colors and outdoor green spaces reduce anxiety and enhance a sense of normalcy. The goal is to avoid re-traumatization and instead foster a setting that promotes emotional regulation and positive relationship-building.
“In every design decision, we asked: how does this support healing?” said a lead planner from the project. “Everything from the lighting to the layout was done with intention.”
Programming That Heals
The Youth Transition Campus supports youth ages 12 to 20 through pre- and post-adjudicated phases. The first phase of construction, completed in 2021, introduced housing for 96 post-adjudicated youth across eight cottages. In 2024, the second phase added six more cottages for 72 pre-adjudicated youth, each unit organized around 12-bed cohorts.
While the architecture sets the tone, the campus’s comprehensive programming brings it to life. Residents receive individual, group, and family counseling alongside substance use treatment and trauma-responsive therapy. Programs like restorative circles, art therapy, and life-skills training help youth build self-awareness, take responsibility for past actions, and develop new tools for the future.
Youth attend SOAR Academy, which offers a full high school curriculum and career technical education (CTE) in areas like culinary arts, construction, and graphic design. A standalone medical clinic provides physical and behavioral health services, including dental and optometry, with continuity of care designed to extend beyond release.
As Sandy McBrayer, CEO of The Children’s Initiative, a longtime youth advocate in San Diego and key partner in this project, put it:
“YTC is a national model for what’s possible when you prioritize kids’ wellness. It’s about holding youth accountable— but it’s also about giving them the tools, support, education, and compassion they need to change their lives. This is the kind of innovation we should be scaling nationwide.”
Supporting Staff Wellness
An often-overlooked dimension of correctional facility operations is staff well-being. The Youth Transition Campus addresses this head-on, recognizing that a healthy and supported workforce is essential to the success of any rehabilitative program.
The facility includes a dedicated staff wellness center with fitness equipment and quiet space for de-stressing before or after shifts. Separate dining areas for staff encourage a professional environment where they can decompress and reset. However, perhaps the on-site staff support specialist is the most impactful, who provides routine wellness check-ins, post-incident debriefs, and personalized support plans.
“Staff wellness isn’t a side note—it’s a core value of our department and central pillar of our model,” said Matthew Strickland, Deputy Chief Probation Officer for the San Diego County Probation Department.
“At YTC, we support the vision of restoration and rehabilitation by creating a supportive environment where youth can learn and grow. That starts with staff who are supported, resilient, and trained to engage with empathy. Comprehensive wellness supports our staff in fostering positive change.”
This approach has already shown results: reduced incidents, increased staff retention, and a more stable, therapeutic environment.
A National Influence
The impact of YTC is not limited to San Diego County. As word about the facility’s holistic, youth-centered approach has spread, justice agencies across the United States have begun touring the campus. County executives, probation departments, architects, and legislators are traveling from as far as the East Coast and Midwest to learn firsthand what modern, trauma-informed juvenile justice can look like.
From large urban centers rethinking outdated facilities to rural counties seeking scalable solutions, these site visits have sparked interest in replicating aspects of YTC’s design and philosophy. The campus has become a living classroom for today’s best practices, influencing the national conversation around rehabilitation, facility planning, and staff wellness.
“We’re seeing a real hunger from systems around the country to do better by our youth,” said one San Diego official. “And when they visit YTC, they see what’s possible.”
Connecting with Community
Family engagement and community reintegration are key to the campus’s design. Youth are supported through visitation centers, education partnerships, and coordinated reentry planning. Probation staff work closely with families, schools, and service providers to build a support network before a youth leaves the facility.
Community-based organizations are also embedded in the fabric of the Campus. Local arts groups lead creative programming. Mental health providers deliver trauma therapy. Policy leaders engage in regular dialogue about continuous improvement, making the Campus a living, learning system—not a static institution.
A Replicable Future
As juvenile justice leaders nationwide search for solutions to reduce recidivism, improve outcomes, and support frontline staff, the Youth Transition Campus offers a compelling example of what’s possible when wellness is the organizing principle.
The facility doesn’t pretend accountability isn’t essential—it redefines what accountability can look like. It shows that accountability can come through connection, that safety can coexist with compassion, and that true rehabilitation begins with believing that every young person has potential.
In a system long defined by concrete, bars, and missed opportunities, the San Diego Youth Transition Campus is a bold departure—and, more importantly, a hopeful one.
Tim Hancock serves as Senior Executive Director | Justice Lead, for Vanir.
