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Committee advances juvenile‑commitment bill after witnesses warn extension could worsen placement shortages
Summary
The committee advanced legislation to create a juvenile commitment review task force and allow courts to extend a youth’s custody by six months following an assault on staff, while advocates warned the extension could strain beds and lack due‑process protections.
The committee advanced House Bill 25‑26, a measure that has two main components: creation of a juvenile commitment review task force to study placement gaps for youth in Department of Children’s Services custody, and a provision that allows a court to extend a youth’s custodial placement by six months following a finding that the youth assaulted staff at a residential program.
Sponsor Representative Littleton said the extension provides courts and DCS time to evaluate placement options for youth who have assaulted staff and are difficult to place. She described the task force as an interagency body that would study service gaps and recommend reforms.
Multiple witnesses urged caution. Jasmine Miller of the Youth Law Center said treatment providers already consider behavioral incidents when recommending sentence extensions, and that the bill’s six‑month custody extension—paired with a fiscal note estimating $4.6 million recurring—could worsen bed shortages and keep young people in settings that are not appropriate. Zoe Jamal and other advocates urged specific due‑process protections, including guaranteed access to counsel and requirements that courts consider whether a placement is appropriate for a child’s disability or treatment needs before imposing an extension.
Members debated composition and meeting frequency for the task force and asked whether the 4‑meeting schedule and a February 1, 2027 reporting deadline provide sufficient time for meaningful review. Sponsor Littleton said the task force’s initial meeting would set rules and scope. Representative Johnson pressed for safeguards for children with disabilities and asked how findings of assault would be proven; legal staff said the bill does not set a specific evidentiary standard but anticipated a court hearing or stipulation would be used.
The committee recorded a vote to move the bill to Finance/Ways & Means (tally reported in the record). Advocates asked the legislature to add clearer process protections to ensure placement appropriateness and legal representation if the custody extension is invoked.
