In re L.H.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On August 1, 2023, L.H. pled no contest to first degree murder. A detailed recitation of the facts is unnecessary to resolution of the issues before us. Suffice it to say that L.H. and another individual shot at K.H. multiple times, resulting in K.H.’s death. At the disposition hearing on August 14, 2023, the juvenile court adjudged L.H. a ward of the court (§ 607) and committed him to Briones Youth Academy, Secure Pathway, “for a maximum term of 25 years to life, or age 25, whichever occurs first.” After applying 734 days of precommitment credits to the “maximum term of confinement” pursuant to section 875, the court determined that L.H.’s remaining custody time was 22 years and 361 days.

II. DISCUSSION

A. The Juvenile Court Correctly Applied Section 875 in Setting a Maximum Term of Confinement 1. Additional Background Commitment to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) used to be “ ‘the state’s most restrictive placement for its most severe juvenile offenders.’ ” (In re M.B. (2024) 99 Cal.App.5th 435, 448 (M.B.), quoting In re Miguel C. (2021) 69 Cal.App.5th 899, 902.) In committing a ward to…