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House approves bill allowing electronic monitoring for juveniles, restores 72‑hour hold provision
Summary
House Bill 199 permits the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles and other agencies to provide electronic monitoring services for juvenile delinquents and restores short‑term detention holds through an adopted amendment. The bill passed as amended on a unanimous vote.
The House passed House Bill 199 on Thursday to allow state agencies, including the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles and juvenile‑justice agencies, to use electronic monitoring for juvenile delinquents and to address short‑term holds for status offenders.
Sponsor Representative Rick (first name not specified in transcript) Hendricks told colleagues the bill authorizes electronic ankle monitors for juveniles as an alternative to detention in specified cases. “So it's basically like a device that, you know, a juvenile puts on their leg… while they're at home, they'd be monitored,” Hendricks explained on the floor, describing the device's role in supervising juveniles outside secure confinement.
Lawmakers debated procedural language and detention limits. Representative Richmond Tillman offered and the House adopted an amendment reintroducing a 72‑hour hold provision that had been removed in earlier drafts and adding a subsequent seven‑day hold option for certain violations; the sponsor described the amendment as friendly. Members discussed the bill’s role in relieving overcrowded juvenile detention facilities and noted that electronic monitoring can allow juveniles to continue schooling or employment while under supervision.
The House adopted the committee substitute and the Tillman amendment and approved final passage by recorded vote. The sponsor and supporters said the measure adds tools for probation officers and juvenile‑justice staff to supervise juveniles in the community while reducing pressure on detention facilities.
The bill’s text and the adopted amendment leave judges discretion on orders for monitoring and specify that services and reporting be handled under existing agency authority; age and case‑by‑case application were discussed on the floor, with sponsors indicating monitoring would typically be ordered for juveniles roughly 10–12 years and older depending on circumstances. House members added language to preserve a judge’s authority and to specify program mechanics.
