(a) The department shall carry out all functions and exercise all powers relating to the administration, supervision, and management of juvenile detention facilities, including youth development centers, and jurisdiction over said youth development centers and other juvenile detention facilities is vested in the department.

(b) Any employees of the Department of Juvenile Justice who became so employed by virtue of their transfer from the Division of Youth Services of the Department of Human Resources on June 30, 1992, shall retain their compensation and benefits and such may not be reduced. Transferred employees who were subject to the State Merit System of Personnel Administration shall retain all existing rights under the State Merit System of Personnel Administration. Retirement rights of such transferred employees existing under the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia or other public retirement systems on July 1, 1992, shall not be impaired or interrupted by the transfer of such employees and membership in any such retirement system shall continue in the same status possessed by the transferred employees on June 30, 1992. Accrued annual and sick leave possessed by said employees on June 30, 1992, shall be retained by said employees as employees of the department.

(c)(1) The department shall conform to federal standards for a merit system of personnel administration in the respects necessary for receiving federal grants and the board is authorized and empowered to effect such changes as may, from time to time, be necessary in order to comply with such standards.

(2) The department is authorized to employ, on a full-time or part-time basis, such medical, psychiatric, social work, supervisory, institutional, and other professional personnel and such clerical and other employees as may be necessary to discharge the duties of the department under this chapter. The department is also authorized to contract for such professional services as may be necessary.

(3) Classified employees of the department under this chapter shall in all instances be employed and dismissed in accordance with rules and regulations of the State Merit System of Personnel Administration.

(4) All personnel of the department are authorized to be members of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia created in Chapter 2 of Title 47. All rights, credits, and funds in that retirement system which are possessed by state personnel transferred by provisions of this chapter to the department, or otherwise had by persons at the time of employment with the department, are continued and preserved, it being the intention of the General Assembly that such persons shall not lose any rights, credits, or funds to which they may be entitled prior to becoming employees of the department.