SB125 Alabama 2019 Session

This bill would implement the recommendations of the Alabama Juvenile Justice Task Force from 2018 and would substantially revise provisions relating to the juvenile justice system in this state

This bill would expand early interventions to address the needs of certain youth prior to court involvement

This bill would require development of a statewide detention risk assessment tool for pre-adjudication detention decisions and would establish standards for informal adjustments for certain youth

This bill would provide for video detention hearings under certain conditions

This bill would remove the assessment of fines or court costs against children under certain conditions while maintaining the ability to assess them against the parents of those children

This bill would provide for a risk and needs assessment tool to aid courts in determining when placement in the custody of the Department of Youth Services is necessary and when placement is not advisable. This bill would also specify those offenses that make a child eligible for placement with the Department of Youth Services and would further establish presumptions for the length of supervision ordered by a juvenile court

This bill would require local boards of education to inform parents of services available relating to absenteeism and other school-related misconduct and would require the Alabama Department of Education to require each local board of education to annually develop, approve, and submit multi-disciplinary agreements in collaboration with community stakeholders relating to appropriate responses to school-based offenses, court referrals, and accountability

This bill would create the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Fund, administered by the Department of Youth Services, to reinvest averted costs from reduction in the department's custody and placement of youth in residential facilities, as well as other funds, back into local community-based programs and services

This bill would create the Juvenile Justice Fund Oversight Committee to oversee distribution of funds to local communities for local evidence-based programs and other services

This bill would require the Administrative Office of Courts and the Department of Youth Services to develop, adopt, and validate a risk and needs assessment to identify a child's risk to reoffend and needs that, if addressed, would likely reduce reoffending

This bill would also provide courts discretion as to whether or not a child should be subject to registration or notification as a sex offender under certain conditions

Relating to juvenile justice; to amend Sections 12-15-102, 12-15-107, 12-15-119, 12-15-120, 12-15-126, 12-15-127, 12-15-128, 12-15-132, 12-15-207, 12-15-209, 12-15-211, 12-15-215, 12-15-221, 12-15-701, 12-25-9, 15-20A-5, as last amended by Act 2018-528, 2018 Regular Session, 16-28-2.2, 16-28-8, 16-28-13, 16-28-14, 16-28-16, 16-28-17, 16-28-18, 44-1-24, and 44-1-36, Code of Alabama 1975, to expand early interventions to address the needs of certain youth prior to court involvement; to require development of a statewide detention risk assessment tool for pre-adjudication detention decisions; to provide for video conferencing of certain detention hearings under certain conditions; to establish standards for informal adjustments for certain youth; to remove the assessment of fines or court costs against children under certain conditions; to provide for a risk and needs assessment tool to aid courts in determining when placement in the custody of the Department of Youth Services is necessary; to specify those offenses that would make a child eligible for placement with the Department of Youth Services; to further specify the length of supervision ordered by a juvenile court; to require local boards of education to inform parents of services available relating to absenteeism and other school-related misconduct; to create the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Fund, administered by the Department of Youth Services; to require the Administrative Office of Courts and the Department of Youth Services to develop and adopt a risk and needs assessment; to create the Juvenile Justice Fund Oversight Committee and to provide for its membership and duties; and to amend Section 15-20A-5, Code of Alabama 1975, as last amended by Act 2018-528, 2018 Regular Session, to provide courts discretion as to requiring a child to comply with sex offender registration and notification requirements under certain conditions.