The Overview

Youth in California juvenile facilities now have the right to consensual physical contact with visitors during in-person visits, though that contact can be restricted when a significant safety or security concern is present. California's Hug Act, AB 1646, became law when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed it Sept. 27. ​

Juvenile-facility visitation rules varied by county: in San Joaquin County, contact visits could be earned or lost based on a youth's behavior, while Ventura County allowed a brief hug at the start and end of visits, and some facilities used noncontact visits, citing safety and security concerns, according to The Imprint.

What the Law Does

California's Youth Bill of Rights already gave confined youth the right to maintain contact with family through in-person visits; the Hug Act now requires that all youth in juvenile facilities have the right to engage in consensual physical contact with visitors during those visits. Facilities may restrict physical contact only when a significant safety and security concern is present, and every such concern and any resulting limitation must be documented.

All juvenile facilities must establish regulations and procedures consistent with these requirements. Where the law imposes higher service levels on local facilities, the state is required to reimburse those costs. Now, any restriction must leave a paper trail that youth, families, and advocates can point to.

Legislative Status

Asm. Isaac Bryan (D) authored the bill. Co-authors include Asm. Mark González (D), Asm. Mia Bonta (D), Asm. Matt Haney (D), and Asm. Ash Kalra (D).

The Assembly passed the bill 59-7 on May 27, 2026. The Senate passed it 32-2 on Aug. 27.

Bryan said the law makes California the first state in the country to give people in juvenile halls the right to physical contact with their loved ones. Pamela Marshall, deputy director of A New Way of Life Reentry Project, the bill's sponsor, said: "A young, troubled person can begin believing in life, love and acceptance of others through the embrace of a loved one," the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

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