BP BHEAD INT H

AN ACT Relating to juveniles; amending RCW 13.32A.030, 13.32A.060, 13.32A.065, 13.32A.070, 70.96A.095, 70.96A.110, 71.34.030, 74.13.032, 74.13.033, and 74.13.034; adding a new section to chapter 46.20 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 13.40 RCW; creating a new section; and prescribing penalties.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. This act may be known and cited as the "Becca bill."

Sec. 2. RCW 13.32A.030 and 1990 c 276 s 3 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~~)) 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;

(5) "At-risk youth" means an individual under the chronological age of eighteen years who:

(a) Is absent from home for more than seventy-two consecutive hours without consent of his or her parent;

(b) Is beyond the control of his or her parent such that the child's behavior substantially endangers the health, safety, or welfare of the child or any other person; or

(c) Has a serious substance abuse problem for which there are no pending criminal charges related to the substance abuse.

Sec. 3. RCW 13.32A.060 and 1994 sp.s. c 7 s 506 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 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 the home of an adult extended family member, a designated crisis residential center, or the home of a responsible adult after attempting to notify the parent or legal guardian:

(i) If the child expresses fear or distress at the prospect of being returned to his or her home which leads the officer to believe 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

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

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

The officer releasing a child into the custody of an extended family member or a responsible adult shall inform the child and the extended family member or 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~~)). An officer taking a child into custody under RCW 13.32A.050(3) 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~~)) shall 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.

(3) "Extended family members" means a grandparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, uncle, aunt, or first cousin with whom the child has a relationship and is comfortable, and who is willing and available to care for the child.

Sec. 4. RCW 13.32A.065 and 1981 c 298 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A child ((~~may~~)) shall be placed in detention after being taken into custody pursuant to RCW 13.32A.050(4). The court shall hold a detention review hearing within twenty-four hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. The court shall release the child after twenty-four hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, unless:

(a) A motion and order to show why the child should not be held in contempt has been filed and served on the child at or before the detention hearing; and

(b) The court believes that the child would not appear at a hearing on contempt.

(2) If the court orders the child to remain in detention, the court shall set the matter for a hearing on contempt within seventy-two hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

Sec. 5. RCW 13.32A.070 and 1986 c 288 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) An officer taking a child into custody under RCW 13.32A.050 may, at his or her discretion, transport the child to the home of a responsible adult who is other than the child's parent or extended family member where the officer reasonably believes that the child will be provided with adequate care and supervision and that the child will remain in the custody of such adult until such time as the department can bring about the child's return home or an alternative residential placement can be agreed to or determined pursuant to this chapter. An officer placing a child with a responsible adult other than his or her parent or extended family member shall immediately notify the department's local community service office of this fact and of the reason for taking the child into custody.

(2) A law enforcement officer acting in good faith pursuant to this chapter in failing to take a child into custody, in taking a child into custody, or in releasing a child to a person other than a parent or extended family member of such child is immune from civil or criminal liability for such action.

(3) A person other than a parent of such child who receives a child pursuant to this chapter and who acts reasonably and in good faith in doing so is immune from civil or criminal liability for the act of receiving such child. Such immunity does not release such person from liability under any other law including the laws regulating licensed child care and prohibiting child abuse.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. A new section is added to chapter 46.20 RCW to read as follows:

(1) In addition to any other authority to suspend driving privileges under this chapter, the department shall suspend for ninety days all driving privileges of a juvenile who has run away from his or her parent's home twice in a twelve-month period when the department receives a notice under section 7 of this act. If the child is under sixteen years of age the ninety-day period shall begin on the child's sixteenth birthday.

(2) In addition to any other penalties under this chapter, the child shall perform up to one hundred hours of community service.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. A new section is added to chapter 13.40 RCW to read as follows:

If a juvenile runs away from his or her parent's home twice in a twelve-month period, the department shall notify the department of licensing within twenty-four hours after notification by the parents.

The department shall develop procedures for verifying reports received under this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. A new section is added to chapter 13.40 RCW to read as follows:

If a child has run away from his or her parent's home three times in a twelve-month period, the court shall enter a finding that the child is at-risk and the court on its own motion shall detain the child in a secure juvenile detention facility for a period not to exceed one year. The department shall develop a program of education and services for the child and family to address the child's behavior.

Sec. 9. RCW 70.96A.095 and 1991 c 364 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Any person ((~~fourteen~~)) thirteen years of age or older may give consent for himself or herself to the furnishing of counseling, care, treatment, or rehabilitation by a treatment program or by any person. Consent of the parent, parents, or legal guardian of a person less than eighteen years of age is not necessary to authorize the care, except that the person shall not become a resident of the treatment program without such permission except as provided in RCW 70.96A.120 or 70.96A.140. The parent, parents, or legal guardian of a person less than eighteen years of age are not liable for payment of care for such persons pursuant to this chapter, unless they have joined in the consent to the counseling, care, treatment, or rehabilitation.

(2) The parent of any minor child may apply to an approved treatment program for the admission of his or her minor child for purposes authorized in this chapter. The consent of the minor child shall not be required for the application or admission. The approved treatment program shall accept the application as if it were submitted voluntarily by the child. The ability of a parent to apply to an approved treatment program for the involuntary admission of his or her minor child does not create a right to obtain or benefit from any funds or resources of the state.

Sec. 10. RCW 70.96A.110 and 1990 c 151 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) An alcoholic or other drug addict may apply for voluntary treatment directly to an approved treatment program. If the proposed patient is ((~~a minor or~~)) an incompetent person, he or she, a parent, a legal guardian, or other legal representative may make the application. If the proposed patient is a minor, a parent, a legal guardian, or other legal representative may make the application.

(2) Subject to rules adopted by the secretary, the administrator in charge of an approved treatment program may determine who shall be admitted for treatment. If a person is refused admission to an approved treatment program, the administrator, subject to rules adopted by the secretary, shall refer the person to another approved treatment program for treatment if possible and appropriate.

(3) If a patient receiving inpatient care leaves an approved treatment program, he or she shall be encouraged to consent to appropriate outpatient treatment. If it appears to the administrator in charge of the treatment program that the patient is an alcoholic or other drug addict who requires help, the department may arrange for assistance in obtaining supportive services and residential programs.

(4) If a patient leaves an approved public treatment program, with or against the advice of the administrator in charge of the program, the department may make reasonable provisions for his or her transportation to another program or to his or her home. If the patient has no home he or she should be assisted in obtaining shelter. If the patient is less than ((~~fourteen~~)) eighteen years of age or an incompetent person the request for discharge from an inpatient program shall be made by a parent, legal guardian, or other legal representative or by the ((~~minor or~~)) incompetent if he or she was the original applicant.

Sec. 11. RCW 71.34.030 and 1985 c 354 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Any minor thirteen years or older may request and receive outpatient treatment without the consent of the minor's parent. Parental authorization is required for outpatient treatment of a minor under the age of thirteen.

(2) When in the judgment of the professional person in charge of an evaluation and treatment facility there is reason to believe that a minor is in need of inpatient treatment because of a mental disorder, and the facility provides the type of evaluation and treatment needed by the minor, and it is not feasible to treat the minor in any less restrictive setting or the minor's home, the minor may be admitted to an evaluation and treatment facility in accordance with the following requirements:

(a) ((~~A minor under thirteen years of age may only be admitted on the application of the minor's parent.~~

~~(b)~~)) A minor ((~~thirteen years or older~~)) may be voluntarily admitted by application of the parent. ((~~Such application must be accompanied by the written consent, knowingly and voluntarily given, of the minor.~~)) The consent of the minor is not required.

((~~(c)~~)) (b) A minor thirteen years or older may, with the concurrence of the professional person in charge of an evaluation and treatment facility, admit himself or herself without parental consent to the evaluation and treatment facility, provided that notice is given by the facility to the minor's parent in accordance with the following requirements:

(i) Notice of the minor's admission shall be in the form most likely to reach the parent within twenty-four hours of the minor's voluntary admission and shall advise the parent that the minor has been admitted to inpatient treatment; the location and telephone number of the facility providing such treatment; and the name of a professional person on the staff of the facility providing treatment who is designated to discuss the minor's need for inpatient treatment with the parent.

(ii) The minor shall be released to the parent at the parent's request for release unless the facility files a petition with the superior court of the county in which treatment is being provided setting forth the basis for the facility's belief that the minor is in need of inpatient treatment and that release would constitute a threat to the minor's health or safety.

(iii) The petition shall be signed by the professional person in charge of the facility or that person's designee.

(iv) The parent may apply to the court for separate counsel to represent the parent if the parent cannot afford counsel.

(v) There shall be a hearing on the petition, which shall be held within three judicial days from the filing of the petition.

(vi) The hearing shall be conducted by a judge, court commissioner, or licensed attorney designated by the superior court as a hearing officer for such hearing. The hearing may be held at the treatment facility.

(vii) At such hearing, the facility must demonstrate by a preponderance of the evidence presented at the hearing that the minor is in need of inpatient treatment and that release would constitute a threat to the minor's health or safety. The hearing shall not be conducted using the rules of evidence, and the admission or exclusion of evidence sought to be presented shall be within the exercise of sound discretion by the judicial officer conducting the hearing.

((~~(d)~~)) (c) Written renewal of voluntary consent must be obtained from the applicant ((~~and the minor thirteen years or older~~)) no less than once every twelve months.

((~~(e)~~)) (d) The minor's need for continued inpatient treatments shall be reviewed and documented no less than every one hundred eighty days.

(3) A notice of intent to leave shall result in the following:

(a) Any minor under the age of thirteen must be discharged immediately upon written request of the parent.

(b) Any minor thirteen years or older voluntarily admitted may give notice of intent to leave at any time. The notice need not follow any specific form so long as it is written and the intent of the minor can be discerned.

(c) The staff member receiving the notice shall date it immediately, record its existence in the minor's clinical record, and send copies of it to the minor's attorney, if any, the county-designated mental health professional, and the parent.

(d) The professional person in charge of the evaluation and treatment facility shall discharge the minor, thirteen years or older, from the facility within twenty-four hours after receipt of the minor's notice of intent to leave, unless the county-designated mental health professional or a parent or legal guardian files a petition or an application for initial detention within the time prescribed by this chapter.

Sec. 12. RCW 74.13.032 and 1979 c 155 s 78 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The department shall establish, by contracts with private vendors, not less than eight regional crisis residential centers, which shall be structured group care facilities licensed under rules adopted by the department. Each regional center shall have an average of at least four adult staff members and in no event less than three adult staff members to every eight children. The staff shall be trained so that they may effectively counsel juveniles admitted to the centers, provide treatment, supervision, and structure to the juveniles, and carry out the responsibilities outlined in RCW 13.32A.090.

(2) The department shall, in addition to the regional facilities established under subsection (1) of this section, establish not less than thirty additional crisis residential centers pursuant to contract with licensed private group care or specialized foster home facilities. The department may also locate crisis residential centers in or adjacent to secure juvenile detention facilities operated by the county. The staff at the facilities shall be trained so that they may effectively counsel juveniles admitted to the centers, provide treatment, supervision, and structure to the juveniles, and carry out the responsibilities stated in RCW 13.32A.090. The responsibilities stated in RCW 13.32A.090 may, in any of the centers, be carried out by the department.

Crisis residential ((~~facilities~~)) centers shall be operated as ((~~semi-secure~~)) secure facilities.

Sec. 13. RCW 74.13.033 and 1992 c 205 s 213 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) If a resident of a center becomes by his or her behavior disruptive to the facility's program, such resident may be immediately removed to a separate area within the facility and counseled on an individual basis until such time as the child regains his or her composure. The department may set rules and regulations establishing additional procedures for dealing with severely disruptive children on the premises, ((~~which procedures are consistent with the federal juvenile justice and delinquency prevention act of 1974 and regulations and clarifying instructions promulgated thereunder~~)). Nothing in this section shall prohibit a center from referring any child who, as the result of a mental or emotional disorder, or intoxication by alcohol or other drugs, is suicidal, seriously assaultive or seriously destructive toward others, or otherwise similarly evidences an immediate need for emergency medical evaluation and possible care, for evaluation pursuant to chapter 71.34 RCW ((or)), to a mental health professional pursuant to chapter 71.05 RCW, or to a chemical dependency specialist pursuant to chapter 70.96A RCW whenever such action is deemed appropriate and consistent with law.

(2) When the juvenile resides in this facility, all services deemed necessary to the juvenile's reentry to normal family life shall be made available to the juvenile as required by chapter 13.32A RCW. In providing these services, the facility shall:

(a) Interview the juvenile as soon as possible;

(b) Contact the juvenile's parents and arrange for a counseling interview with the juvenile and his or her parents as soon as possible;

(c) Conduct counseling interviews with the juvenile and his or her parents, to the end that resolution of the child/parent conflict is attained and the child is returned home as soon as possible; and

(d) Provide additional crisis counseling as needed, to the end that placement of the child in the crisis residential center will be required for the shortest time possible, but not to exceed five consecutive days.

(3) A juvenile taking unauthorized leave from this residence ((~~may~~)) shall be apprehended and returned to it by law enforcement officers or other persons designated as having this authority as provided in RCW 13.32A.050. If returned to the facility after having taken unauthorized leave for a period of more than twenty-four hours a juvenile ((~~may~~)) shall be supervised by such a facility for a period, pursuant to this chapter, which, unless where otherwise provided, may not exceed five consecutive days on the premises. Costs of housing juveniles admitted to crisis residential centers shall be assumed by the department for a period not to exceed five consecutive days.

Sec. 14. RCW 74.13.034 and 1992 c 205 s 214 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A child taken into custody and taken to a crisis residential center established pursuant to RCW 74.13.032(2) may, if the center is unable to provide appropriate treatment, supervision, and structure to the child, be taken at department expense to another crisis residential center or the nearest regional crisis residential center. Placement in both centers shall not exceed five consecutive days from the point of intake as provided in RCW 13.32A.130.

(2) A child taken into custody and taken to a crisis residential center established by this chapter may be placed physically by the department or the department's designee and, at departmental expense and approval, in a secure juvenile detention facility operated by the county in which the center is located for a maximum of forty-eight hours, including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, if the child has taken unauthorized leave from the center and the person in charge of the center determines that the center cannot provide supervision and structure adequate to ensure that the child will not again take unauthorized leave. Juveniles placed in such a facility pursuant to this section may not, to the extent possible, come in contact with alleged or convicted juvenile or adult offenders.

(3) Any child placed in secure detention pursuant to this section shall, during the period of confinement, be provided with appropriate treatment by the department or the department's designee, which shall include the services defined in RCW 74.13.033(2). If the child placed in secure detention is not returned home or if an alternative living arrangement agreeable to the parent and the child is not made within twenty-four hours after the child's admission, the child shall be taken at the department's expense to a crisis residential center. Placement in the crisis residential center or centers plus placement in juvenile detention shall not exceed five consecutive days from the point of intake as provided in RCW 13.32A.130.

(4) ((Juvenile detention facilities used pursuant to this section shall first be certified by the department to ensure that juveniles placed in the facility pursuant to this section are provided with living conditions suitable to the well-being of the child. Where space is available, juvenile courts, when certified by the department to do so, shall provide secure placement for juveniles pursuant to this section, at department expense.

~~(5)~~)) It is the intent of the legislature that by July 1, 1982, crisis residential centers, supplemented by community mental health programs and mental health professionals, will be able to respond appropriately to children admitted to centers under this chapter and will be able to respond to the needs of such children with appropriate treatment, supervision, and structure.