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Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 15, § 1110. Purpose and reasons for detention; detention standards; licensing; fees

Current as of January 01, 2023 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

A. It is the intent of the legislature to protect the health, safety, and well-being of the children of this state who are placed in juvenile detention facilities. Toward this end, it is the purpose of this Part to provide for the establishment of statewide standards for juvenile detention facilities, to ensure maintenance of these standards, and to regulate conditions in these facilities through a licensing program. It shall be the policy of this state that all juvenile detention facilities provide temporary, safe, and secure custody of juveniles during the pendency of juvenile proceedings, when detention is the least restrictive alternative available to secure the appearance of the juvenile in court or to protect the safety of the child or the public.

B. Secure detention shall be used only when it is determined to be necessary based on the child's assessed risk to public safety or to secure the appearance of the child in court.

C. (1) No juvenile detention facility, including any facility owned or operated by any governmental, profit, nonprofit, private, or public agency, shall be used to detain a child who is alleged to have committed a delinquent act for any of the following purposes or reasons:

(a) To punish, treat, or rehabilitate the child.

(b) To allow the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian to avoid the parent's, guardian's, or legal custodian's legal responsibilities relative to the child.

(c) Solely to satisfy a demand made by a victim, law enforcement, or the community that a child be detained.

(d) To facilitate further interrogation or investigation.

(e) To facilitate further assessment or evaluation.

(f) The unavailability of a more appropriate facility.

(2) Nothing in this Subsection shall prohibit the detention of a child who is charged with the commission of a serious offense or with a history of prior adjudications for the commission of delinquent acts based upon serious offenses.

D. (1) On or after July 1, 2020, a detention screening instrument, as provided in Children's Code Article 815, shall be administered for any child placed in secure detention when taken into custody without a court order pursuant to Children's Code Article 814 for alleged commission of a delinquent act.

(2)(a) The Louisiana Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Statewide Leadership Collaborative, created by House Concurrent Resolution No. 102 of the 2016 Regular Session of the Legislature, hereinafter referred to as the “JDAI Collaborative”, shall support the statewide implementation of detention screening instruments and the training process and requirements for those persons who will utilize the instruments.

(b) The detention screening instruments shall assess the child only to determine the child's risk to public safety while a current arrest is pending and the risk of failure to appear in court for the pending case.

(c) The detention screening instrument shall be selected from the tools that are being utilized as of January 1, 2019, by local jurisdictions in the state, which shall be provided by the JDAI Collaborative. A detention screening instrument that is being utilized by a jurisdiction as of January 1, 2019, is sufficient to satisfy the requirements of this Subparagraph.

(3) A copy of the completed detention screening instrument shall be provided to the juvenile detention facility for any child who is admitted into its custody. The juvenile detention facility shall keep a record of the results of the detention screening instrument and the recommendation made based upon the instrument to either detain the child, release the child with conditions, or release the child without conditions. This record shall include the parish in which the child was taken into custody, the most serious charge for which the child was taken into custody, and demographic information about the child including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, and age. This information shall be aggregated and submitted quarterly to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice which shall annually provide such information to the JDAI Collaborative.

E. Each juvenile detention facility licensed pursuant to this Part, including facilities owned or operated by any governmental, profit, nonprofit, private, or public agency, may establish arts-based programming in the facility which may include but is not limited to performing arts, visual arts, and other arts activities that enhance youth development. For the purposes of funding the arts-based programming, the facility owner or operator is authorized to receive, by appropriation, gift, grant, donation, or otherwise, any sum of money, aid, or assistance from any person, firm, or corporation or from the United States, its agencies, the state of Louisiana, or any political subdivision of the state.

F to I. Repealed by Acts 2023, No. 445, § 3, eff. July 1, 2024.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 15, § 1110. Purpose and reasons for detention; detention standards; licensing; fees - last updated January 01, 2023 | https://codes.findlaw.com/la/revised-statutes/la-rev-stat-tit-15-sect-1110/

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