AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 13, 2026
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 25, 2026
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 18, 2026
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
96
Introduced by Assembly Members Bryan and Mark González
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta, Haney, and Kalra)
January 27, 2026
An act to amend Section 224.71 of, and to add Section 224.75 to, to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to juveniles.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: yes Local program: yes
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
Existing law establishes the Youth Bill of Rights for all youth confined in a juvenile facility, which includes the right to maintain frequent and continuing contact with parents, guardians, siblings, children, and extended family members, through in-person visits, among others. Existing law regulates the provision of these rights.
This bill, the Hug Act, would add the require that all youth confined in a juvenile facility have the right to engage in certain types of consensual physical contact with visitors during in-person visits to the Youth Bill of Rights, and would establish requirements for the provision of this right.
visits, as specified. The bill would require that limitations to this physical contact only be implemented when a significant safety and security concern is present, as described, and would require that all significant safety and security concerns and subsequent contact limitations be documented, as described. The bill would require all juvenile facilities to establish regulations and procedures consistent with these provisions. The bill would make related findings and declarations.
To the extent that this bill would impose a higher level of service on local facilities, it would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Hug Act.
SEC. 2.
The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:
(a) Research demonstrates that physical touch is essential to the health, development, and well-being of young people. Affective touch produces measurable physiological benefits, and promotes attachment security and stress resilience. Conversely, touch deprivation in adolescents is associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression, and aggression.
(b) Youth confined in juvenile facilities are separated from their families and communities at a critical stage of development. Maintaining meaningful physical connection with family members and loved ones during visits supports the trauma-responsive, rehabilitative goals of the juvenile justice system and promotes successful reentry and reintegration.
Section 224.71 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:
224.71.
It is the policy of the state that all youth confined in a juvenile facility shall have the following rights, which are established by existing law and regulation:
(a) To live in a safe, healthy, and clean environment conducive to treatment, positive youth development, and healing and where they are treated with dignity and respect.
(b) To be free from physical, sexual, emotional, or other abuse, or corporal punishment.
(c) To receive adequate and healthy meals and snacks, clean water at any time, timely access to toilets, access to daily showers, sufficient personal hygiene items, clean bedding, and clean clothing in good repair, including clean undergarments on a daily basis, and new underwear that fits. Clothing, grooming, and hygiene products shall be adequate and respect the child’s culture, ethnicity, and gender identity and expression.
(d) To receive adequate, appropriate, and timely medical, reproductive, dental, vision, behavioral health, and mental health services provided by qualified professionals and consistent with current professional standards of care.
(e) To refuse the administration of psychotropic and other medications consistent with applicable law or unless immediately necessary for the preservation of life or the prevention of serious bodily harm.
(f) To not be searched for the purpose of harassment or humiliation, a form of discipline or punishment, or to verify the youth’s gender. To searches that preserve the privacy and dignity of the person and to have access to a written search policy at any time, including the policy on who may perform searches.
(g) To maintain frequent and continuing contact with parents, guardians, siblings, children, and extended family members, through visits, telephone calls, and mail. Youth may be provided with access to computer technology and the internet for maintaining relationships with family as an alternative, but not as a replacement for, in-person visiting.
(h) To make and receive confidential telephone calls, send and receive confidential mail, and have confidential visits with attorneys and their authorized representatives, ombudspersons, including the Division of the Ombudsperson of the Office of Youth and Community Restoration, and other advocates, holders of public office, state and federal court personnel, and legal service organizations.
(i) To have fair and equal access to all available services, housing, care, treatment, and benefits, and to not be subjected to discrimination or harassment on the basis of actual or perceived race, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, language, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, mental or physical disability, immigration status, or HIV status.
(j) To have daily opportunities for age-appropriate physical exercise and recreation, including time spent outdoors and access to leisure reading, letter writing, and entertainment.
(k) To contact attorneys, ombudspersons, including the Division of the Ombudsperson of the Office of Youth and Community Restoration, and other advocates, and representatives of state or local agencies, regarding conditions of confinement or violations of rights, and to be free from retaliation for making these contacts or complaints.
(l) To exercise the religious or spiritual practice of their choice and to participate in or refuse to participate in religious services and activities.
(m) To not be deprived of any of the following as a disciplinary measure: food, contact with parents, guardians, family, or attorneys, sleep, exercise, education, bedding, clothing, access to religious services, a daily shower, clean water, a toilet, hygiene products, medical services, reading material, or the right to send and receive mail; to not be subject to room confinement as a disciplinary measure; to access written disciplinary policies, including the right to be informed of accusations against them, have an opportunity to be heard, present evidence and testimony, and their right to appeal disciplinary decisions.
(n) To receive a rigorous, quality education that complies with state law, and the abilities of students and prepares them for high school graduation, career entry, and postsecondary education; to attend appropriate level school classes and vocational training; to have access to postsecondary academic and career technical education courses and programs; to have access to computer technology and the internet for the purposes of education and to continue to receive educational services while on disciplinary or medical status; and to have access to information about the educational options available to youth.
(o) To information about their rights as parents, including available parental support, reunification advocacy, and opportunities to maintain or develop a connection with their children; to access educational information or programming about pregnancy, infant care, parenting, and breast-feeding, and childhood development; to proper prenatal care, diet, vitamins, nutrition, and medical treatment; to counseling for pregnant and postpartum youth; to not be restrained by the use of leg irons, waist chains, or handcuffs behind the body while pregnant or in recovery after delivery; to not be restrained during a medical emergency, labor, delivery, or recovery unless deemed necessary for their safety and security, and to have restraints removed when a medical professional determines removal is medically necessary; and to access written policies about pregnant, postpartum, and lactating youth.
(p) To attend all court hearings pertaining to them.
(q) To have counsel and a prompt probable cause hearing when detained on probation violations.
(r) To make at least two free telephone calls within an hour after initially being placed in a juvenile facility following an arrest.
(s) To engage in consensual physical contact with visitors during in-person visits, consistent with Section 224.75.
SEC. 4.SEC. 3.
Section 224.75 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:
224.75.
(a) Consistent with subdivision (s) (g) of Section 224.71, all youth confined in a juvenile facility, before, during, or after adjudication of wardship, shall have the right to engage in consensual physical contact with visitors during in-person visits that a reasonable person would find appropriate under the circumstances, including, but not limited to, hugging at the beginning and end of the visit and holding hands.
(b) (1) The physical contact described in subdivision (a) shall not be restricted as a disciplinary measure. Limitations to the physical contact described in subdivision (a) shall only be implemented when a significant safety and security concern is present, including pursuant to any court-ordered restrictions on visitations or visitors for a youth confined in a juvenile facility or a temporary and specific health concern. When the limitations are implemented, physical contact shall only be temporarily restricted for a specific youth or visitor as necessary to address the significant safety and security concern.
(2) All significant safety and security concerns and subsequent contact limitations shall be documented in detail, including the duration of the contact limitation and any additional accommodations or security measures implemented to facilitate a return to physical contact visits. The documentation required by this paragraph shall be made available to the Division of the Ombudsperson of the Office of Youth and Community Restoration upon request.
(c) All juvenile facilities shall establish regulations and procedures for in-person visitation consistent with the requirements of this section.
SEC. 5.SEC. 4.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.