Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Juvenile Justice topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances juvenile monitoring and mandatory crisis-evaluation amendment after mental-health agency raises capacity concerns
Summary
An amendment to HB 6-29 would authorize GPS monitoring for certain juveniles released before hearing and require crisis evaluations for juveniles adjudicated for threatening mass violence; the committee adopted the amendment and advanced the bill, while the state mental-health agency warned mandatory evaluations could strain resources.
Representative Hardaway presented amendment code 4-485 to House Bill 6-29, which rewrites the measure to authorize juvenile courts to require GPS global-positioning monitoring for a child accused of being delinquent or unruly who is released prior to a hearing. The amendment also requires the operating entity of a GPS system to notify probation officers if a youth violates court-imposed release conditions, and it mandates counseling and a mental-health evaluation for juveniles adjudicated delinquent for threatening mass violence.
Kristin Belloff of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services testified that judges currently have discretion to order crisis evaluations under existing statutes and cautioned that making evaluations mandatory each time a juvenile makes a mass-violence threat could strain crisis-service providers. She said she preferred retaining judicial discretion under the current law to avoid stretching limited resources.
Chair members asked whether the evaluation requirement would be mandatory or discretionary; Belloff confirmed the amendment would make the evaluation mandatory. After discussion the committee voted to adopt the amendment and then to send HB 6-29 as amended to full judiciary. The clerk reported the tally as 6 ayes, 1 nay, and 1 present not voting.
Sponsors said the amendment is aimed at protecting school staff and students and ensuring follow-up treatment when a juvenile poses a credible threat. The mental-health agency urged careful consideration of capacity and implementation details before imposing mandatory evaluations.
