_______________________________________________

 

                                ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 4059

                        _______________________________________________

 

                                                                            C 257 L 85

 

 

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

 

By Senate Committee on Judiciary (originally sponsored by Senator Talmadge)

 

 

Read first time 3/8/85.

 

 


AN ACT Relating to juveniles; amending RCW 13.40.190, 13.40.210, 13.04.450, 13.32A.030, 13.32A.050, 13.32A.060, 13.32A.130, 13.32A.140, 13.32A.170, and 74.13.036; adding a new section to chapter 13.34 RCW; creating a new section; and prescribing penalties.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 13.34 RCW to read as follows:

          (1) Failure by a party to comply with an order entered under this chapter is punishable as contempt.

          (2) Contempt under this section is punishable by confinement for up to seven days.

          (3) A child found in contempt under this section shall be confined only in a secure juvenile detention facility operated by or pursuant to a contract with a county.

          (4) The procedure in a contempt proceeding under this section is governed by RCW 7.20.040 through 7.20.080.

          (5) A motion for contempt may be made by a parent, juvenile court personnel, or by any public agency, organization, or person having custody of the child under a court order entered pursuant to this chapter.

 

        Sec. 2.  Section 73, chapter 291, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. as last amended by section 9, chapter 191, Laws of 1983 and RCW 13.40.190 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) In its dispositional order, the court shall require the respondent to make restitution to any persons who have suffered loss or damage as a result of the offense committed by the respondent.  In addition, restitution may be ordered for loss or damage if the offender pleads guilty to a lesser offense or fewer offenses and agrees with the prosecutor's recommendation that the offender be required to pay restitution to a victim of an offense or offenses which, pursuant to a plea agreement, are not prosecuted.  The payment of restitution shall be in addition to any punishment which is imposed pursuant to the other provisions of this chapter.  The court may determine the amount, terms, and conditions of the restitution.  If the respondent participated in the crime with another person or other persons, all such participants shall be jointly and severally responsible for the payment of restitution.  The court may not require the respondent to pay full or partial restitution if the respondent reasonably satisfies the court that he or she does not have the means to make full or partial restitution  and could not reasonably acquire the means to pay such restitution.  In cases where an offender has been committed to the department for a period of confinement exceeding fifteen weeks, restitution may be waived.

          (2) If an order includes restitution as one of the monetary assessments, the county clerk shall make disbursements to victims named in the order.  The restitution to victims named in the order shall be paid prior to any payment for other penalties or monetary assessments.

          (3) A respondent under obligation to pay restitution may petition the court for modification of the restitution order.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.     To promote both public safety and the welfare of juvenile offenders, it is the intent of the legislature that services to juvenile offenders be delivered in the most effective and efficient means possible.  Section 4 of this act facilitates those objectives by permitting counties to supervise parole of juvenile offenders.  This is consistent with the philosophy of chapter 13.06 RCW to deliver community services to juvenile offenders comprehensively at the county level.

 

        Sec. 4.  Section 75, chapter 291, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. as last amended by section 11, chapter 191, Laws of 1983 and RCW 13.40.210 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) The secretary shall, except in the case of a juvenile committed by a court to a term of confinement in a state institution outside the appropriate standard range for the offense(s) for which the juvenile was found to be guilty established pursuant to RCW 13.40.030, as now or hereafter amended, set a release or discharge date for each juvenile committed to its custody which shall be within the prescribed range to which a juvenile has been committed.  Such dates shall be determined prior to the expiration of sixty percent of a juvenile's minimum term of confinement included within the prescribed range to which the juvenile has been committed.  The secretary shall release any juvenile committed to the custody of the department within four calendar days prior to the juvenile's release date or on the release date set under this chapter:  PROVIDED, That days spent in the custody of the department shall be tolled by any period of time during which a juvenile has absented himself or herself from the department's supervision without the prior approval of the secretary or the secretary's designee.

          (2) The secretary shall monitor the average daily population of the state's juvenile residential facilities.  When the secretary concludes that in-residence population of residential facilities exceeds one hundred five percent of the rated bed capacity specified in statute, or in absence of such specification, as specified by the department in rule, the secretary may, until June 30, 1985, recommend reductions to the governor.  On certification by the governor that the recommended reductions are necessary, the secretary may have temporary authority until June 30, 1985, to administratively release a sufficient number of offenders to reduce in-residence population to one hundred percent of rated bed capacity.  The secretary shall release those offenders who have served the greatest proportion of their sentence.  However, the secretary may deny release in a particular case at the request of an offender, or if the secretary finds that there is no responsible custodian, as determined by the department, to whom to release the offender, or if the release of the offender would pose a clear danger to society.  The department shall notify the committing court of the release.  In no event shall a serious offender, as defined in RCW 13.40.020(1) be granted release under the provisions of this subsection.

          (3) Following the juvenile's release pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, the secretary may require the juvenile to comply with a program of parole to be administered by the department in his or her community which shall last no longer than eighteen months.  Such a parole program shall be mandatory for offenders released under subsection (2) of this section.  The secretary shall, for the period of parole, facilitate the juvenile's reintegration into his or her community and to further this goal may require the juvenile to:  (a) Undergo available medical or psychiatric treatment; (b) report as directed to a parole officer; (c) pursue a course of study or vocational training; (d) remain within prescribed geographical boundaries and notify the department of any change in his or her address; and (e) refrain from committing new offenses.  After termination of the parole period, the juvenile shall be discharged from the department's supervision.

           (4) The department may also modify parole for violation thereof.  If, after affording a juvenile all of the due process rights to which he or she would be entitled if the juvenile were an adult, the secretary finds that a juvenile has violated a condition of his or her parole, the secretary shall order one of the following which is reasonably likely to effectuate the purpose of the parole and to protect the public:  (a) Continued supervision under the same conditions previously imposed; (b) intensified supervision with increased reporting requirements; (c) additional conditions of supervision authorized by this chapter; and (d) imposition of a period of confinement not to exceed thirty days in a facility operated by or pursuant to a contract with the state of Washington or any city or county for a portion of each day or for a certain number of days each week with the balance of the days or weeks spent under supervision.

           (5) A parole officer of the department of social and health services shall have the power to arrest a juvenile under his or her supervision on the same grounds as a law enforcement officer would be authorized to arrest such person.

          (6) If so requested and approved under chapter 13.06 RCW, the secretary shall permit a county or group of counties to perform functions under subsections (3) through (5) of this section.

 

        Sec. 5.  Section 20, chapter 299, Laws of 1981 and RCW 13.04.450 are each amended to read as follows:

          The provisions of chapters 13.04 and 13.40 RCW, as now or hereafter amended, shall be the exclusive authority for the adjudication and disposition of juvenile offenders except where otherwise expressly provided.  Chapter 10.22 RCW does not apply to juvenile offender proceedings, including diversion, under chapter 13.40 RCW.

 

        Sec. 6.  Section 17, chapter 155, Laws of 1979 and RCW 13.32A.030 are each amended to read as follows:

          As used in this chapter the following terms have the meanings indicated unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

          (1) "Department" means the department of social and health services;

          (2) "Child," "juvenile," and "youth" mean any individual who is under the chronological age of eighteen years;

          (3) "Parent" means the legal custodian(s) or guardian(s) of a child;

          (4) "Semi-secure facility" means any facility, including but not limited to crisis residential centers or specialized foster family homes, operated in a manner to reasonably assure that youth placed there will not run away:  PROVIDED, That such facility shall not be  a secure institution or facility as defined by the federal juvenile justice and delinquency prevention act of 1974 (P.L. 93-415; 42 U.S.C. Sec. 5634 et seq.) and regulations and clarifying instructions promulgated thereunder.  Pursuant to rules established by the department, the facility administrator shall establish reasonable hours for residents to come and go from the facility such that no residents are free to come and go at all hours of the day and night.  To prevent residents from taking unreasonable actions, the facility administrator, where appropriate, may condition a resident's leaving the facility upon the resident being accompanied by the administrator or the administrator's designee and the resident may be required to notify the administrator or the administrator's designee of any intent to leave, his or her intended destination, and the probable time of his or her return to the center.  The facility administrator shall notify a parent and the appropriate law enforcement agency within four hours of all unauthorized leaves.

 

        Sec. 7.  Section 19, chapter 155, Laws of 1979 as amended by section 2, chapter 298, Laws of 1981 and RCW 13.32A.050 are each amended to read as follows:

          A law enforcement officer shall take a child into custody:

          (1) If a law enforcement agency has been contacted by the parent of the child that the child is absent from parental custody without consent; or

          (2) If a law enforcement officer reasonably believes that a child is in circumstances which constitute a danger to the child's physical safety; or

          (3) If an agency legally charged with the supervision of a child has notified a law enforcement agency that the child has run away from placement; or

          (4) If a law enforcement agency has been notified by the juvenile court that the court finds probable cause exists to believe that the child has violated a court placement order issued pursuant to chapter 13.32A RCW.

           Law enforcement custody shall not extend beyond the amount of time reasonably necessary to transport the child to a destination authorized by law and to place the child at that destination.

          An officer who takes a child into custody under this section and places the child in a designated crisis residential center shall inform the department of such placement within twenty-four hours.

 

        Sec. 8.  Section 20, chapter 155, Laws of 1979 as amended by section 3, chapter 298, Laws of 1981 and RCW 13.32A.060 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) An officer taking a child into custody under RCW 13.32A.050 (1) or (2) shall inform the child of the reason for such custody and shall either:

          (a) Transport the child to his or her home.  The officer releasing a child into the custody of the parent shall inform the parent of the reason for the taking of the child into custody and ((may)) shall inform the child and the parent of the nature and location of appropriate services available in their community; or

          (b) Take the child to a designated crisis residential center or the home of a responsible adult:

          (i) If the child evinces fear or distress at the prospect of being returned to his or her home; or

          (ii) If the officer believes there is a possibility that the child is experiencing in the home some type of child abuse or neglect, as defined in RCW 26.44.020, as now law or hereafter amended; or

          (iii) If it is not practical to transport the child to his or her home; or

          (iv) If there is no parent available to accept custody of the child.

          The officer releasing a child into the custody of a responsible adult shall inform the child and the responsible adult of the nature and location of appropriate services available in the community.

          (2) An officer taking a child into custody under RCW 13.32A.050 (3) or (4) shall inform the child of the reason for custody, and shall take the child to a designated crisis residential center licensed by the department and established pursuant to chapter 74.13 RCW.  However, an officer taking a child into custody under RCW 13.32A.050(4) may place the child in a juvenile detention facility as provided in RCW 13.32A.065.  The department shall ensure that all the enforcement authorities are informed on a regular basis as to the location of the designated crisis residential center or centers in their judicial district, where children taken into custody under RCW 13.32A.050 may be taken.

 

        Sec. 9.  Section 27, chapter 155, Laws of 1979 as amended by section 9, chapter 298, Laws of 1981 and RCW 13.32A.130 are each amended to read as follows:

          A child admitted to a crisis residential center under this chapter who is not returned to the home of his or her parent or who is not placed in an alternative residential placement under an agreement between the parent and child, shall, except as provided for by RCW 13.32A.140 and 13.32A.160(2), reside in such placement under the rules and regulations established for the center for a period not to exceed seventy-two hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, from the time of intake, except as otherwise provided by this chapter.  Crisis  residential center staff shall make a concerted effort to achieve a reconciliation of the family.  If a reconciliation and voluntary return of the child has not been achieved within forty-eight hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from the time of intake, and if the person in charge of the center does not consider it likely that reconciliation will be achieved within the seventy-two hour period, then the person in charge shall inform the parent and child of (1) the availability of counseling services; (2) the right to file a petition for an alternative residential placement and to obtain assistance in filing the petition; and (3) the right to request a review of such a placement:  PROVIDED, That at no time shall information regarding a parent's or child's rights be withheld if requested:  PROVIDED FURTHER, That the department shall develop and distribute to all law enforcement agencies and to each crisis residential center administrator a written statement delineating such services and rights.   Every officer taking a child into custody shall provide the child and his or her parent(s) or responsible adult with whom the child is placed with a copy of such statement.  In addition, the administrator of the facility or his or her designee shall provide every resident and parent with a copy of such statement.

 

        Sec. 10.  Section 31, chapter 155, Laws of 1979 as last amended by section 1, chapter 188, Laws of 1984 and RCW 13.32A.170 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) The court shall hold a fact-finding hearing to consider a proper petition and may approve or deny alternative residential placement giving due weight to the intent of the legislature that families, absent compelling reasons to the contrary, shall remain together and that parents have the right to place reasonable rules and restrictions upon their children.  The court may appoint legal counsel and/or a guardian ad litem to represent the child and advise parents of their right to be represented by legal counsel.  The court may approve an order stating that the child shall be placed in a residence other than the home of his or her parent only if it is established by a preponderance of the evidence that:

          (a) The petition is not capricious;

          (b) The petitioner, if a parent or the child, has made a reasonable effort to resolve the conflict;

          (c) The conflict which exists cannot be resolved by delivery of services to the family during continued placement of the child in the parental home; and

          (d) Reasonable efforts have been made to prevent or eliminate the need for removal of the child from the child's home and to make it possible for the child to return home.

          The court may not grant a petition filed by the child or the department if it is established that the petition is based only upon a dislike of reasonable rules or reasonable discipline established by the parent.

          (2) The order approving out-of-home placement shall direct the department to submit a disposition plan for a three-month placement of the child that is designed to reunite the family and resolve the family conflict.  Such plan shall delineate any conditions or limitations on parental involvement.  In making the order, the court shall further direct the department to make recommendations, as to which agency or person should have physical custody of the child, as to which parental powers should  be awarded to such agency or person, and as to parental visitation rights.  The court may direct the department to consider the cultural heritage of the child in making its recommendations.

          (3) The hearing to consider the recommendations of the department for a three-month disposition plan shall be set no later than fourteen days after the approval of the court of a petition to approve alternative residential placement.  Each party shall be notified of the time and place of such disposition hearing.

          (4) If the court approves or denies a petition for an alternative residential placement, a written statement of the reasons shall be filed.  If the court denies a petition requesting that a child be placed in a residence other than the home of his or her parent, the court shall enter an order requiring the child to remain at or return to the home of his or her parent.

          (5) If the court denies the petition, the court shall impress upon the party filing the petition of the legislative intent to restrict the proceedings to situations where a family conflict is so great that it cannot be resolved by the provision of in-home services.

          (6) A child who fails to comply with a court order directing that the child remain at or return to the home of his or her parent shall be subject to contempt proceedings, as provided in this chapter, but only if the noncompliance occurs within ninety calendar days after the day of the order.

 

        Sec. 11.  Section 82, chapter 155, Laws of 1979 as amended by section 18, chapter 298, Laws of 1981 and RCW 74.13.036 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) The department of social and health services shall oversee implementation of chapter 13.34 RCW and chapter 13.32A RCW.  The oversight shall be comprised of working with affected parts of the criminal justice and child care systems as well as with local government, legislative, and executive authorities to effectively carry out these chapters.  The department shall work with all such entities to ensure that chapters 13.32A and 13.34 RCW are implemented in a uniform manner throughout the state.  ((The department shall make reports at least quarterly to the governor and to the legislature regarding implementation of the chapters cited in this section and shall report any violations and misunderstandings regarding the implementation thereof.))

          (2) The department shall, by January 1, 1986, develop a plan and procedures, in cooperation with the state-wide advisory committee, to insure the full implementation of the provisions of chapter 13.32A RCW.  Such plan and procedures shall include but are not limited to:

          (a) Procedures defining and delineating the role of the department and juvenile court with regard to the execution of the alternative residential placement process;

          (b) Procedures for designating department staff responsible for family reconciliation services;

          (c) Procedures assuring enforcement of contempt proceedings in accordance with RCW 13.32A.170 and 13.32A.250; and

          (d) Procedures for the continued education of all individuals in the criminal juvenile justice and child care systems who are affected by chapter 13.32A RCW, as well as members of the legislative and executive branches of government.

          The plan and procedures required under this subsection shall be submitted to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature by January 1, 1986.

          There shall be uniform application of the procedures developed by the department and juvenile court personnel, to the extent practicable.  Local and regional differences shall be taken into consideration in the development of procedures required under this subsection.

          (3) In addition to its other oversight duties, the department shall:

          (a) Identify and evaluate resource needs in each region of the state;

          (b) Disseminate information collected as part of the oversight process to affected groups and the general public;

          (c) Educate affected entities within the juvenile justice and child care systems, local government, and the legislative branch regarding the implementation of chapters 13.32A and 13.34 RCW;

          (d) Review complaints concerning the services, policies, and procedures of those entities charged with implementing chapters 13.32A and 13.34 RCW; and

          (e) Report any violations and misunderstandings regarding the implementation of chapters 13.32A and 13.34 RCW.

          (4) The secretary shall develop procedures in accordance with chapter 34.04 RCW for addressing violations and misunderstandings concerning the implementation of chapters 13.32A and 13.34 RCW.

          (5) The secretary shall submit a quarterly report to the appropriate standing committee of the house of representatives and the senate of the state of Washington and to appropriate local government entities.

          (6)  Where appropriate, the department shall request opinions from the attorney general regarding correct construction of these laws.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 12.    If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.


                                                                                                                          Passed the Senate March 19, 1985.

 

                                                                                                                                       President of the Senate.

 

                                                                                                                           Passed the House April 15, 1985.

 

                                                                                                                                         Speaker of the House.