MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1998 Regular Session

To: Juvenile Justice

By: Representative Scott (80th)

House Bill 121

(COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 43-21-605, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT JUVENILE OFFENDERS MAY BE SENTENCED TO THE INTENSIVE SUPERVISION PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS; TO PROVIDE THAT THE MINIMUM SENTENCE UNDER THIS PROGRAM SHALL BE SIX MONTHS FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS; TO REQUIRE JUVENILE OFFENDERS TO BE TESTED FOR ALCOHOL AND DRUGS; TO REQUIRE JUVENILE OFFENDERS TO PAY TEN DOLLARS FOR THE TEST; TO PROVIDE THAT IF A JUVENILE OFFENDER TESTS POSITIVE FOR ALCOHOL OR DRUGS, HE SHALL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND AN ALCOHOL AND DRUG REHABILITATION PROGRAM; TO AMEND SECTION 47-5-1007, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT JUVENILE OFFENDERS SENTENCED TO THE INTENSIVE SUPERVISION PROGRAM SHALL PAY A MONTHLY FEE TO OFFSET THE COST OF THE INTENSIVE SUPERVISION PROGRAM; TO AMEND SECTION 47-5-1013, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT JUVENILE OFFENDERS SHALL NOT PAY A PROGRAM FEE; TO AMEND SECTION 47-5-1003, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY THERETO; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 43-21-605, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-21-605. (1) In delinquency cases, the disposition order may include any of the following alternatives or combination of the following alternatives, giving precedence in the following sequence:

(a) Release the child without further action;

(b) Place the child in the custody of the parents, a relative or other persons subject to any conditions and limitations, including restitution, as the youth court may prescribe;

(c) Place the child on probation subject to any reasonable and appropriate conditions and limitations, including restitution, as the youth court may prescribe;

(d) Order terms of treatment calculated to assist the child and the child's parents or guardian which are within the ability of the parent or guardian to perform;

(e) Order terms of supervision which may include participation in a constructive program of service or education or civil fines not in excess of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), or restitution not in excess of actual damages caused by the child to be paid out of his own assets or by performance of services acceptable to the victims and approved by the youth court and reasonably capable of performance within one (1) year;

(f) Suspend the child's driver's license by taking and keeping it in custody of the court for not more than one (1) year;

(g) Give legal custody of the child to any of the following:

(i) The Department of Human Services for appropriate placement; or

(ii) Any public or private organization, preferably community-based, able to assume the education, care and maintenance of the child, which has been found suitable by the court; or

(iii) The Department of Human Services for placement in a wilderness training program or a state-supported training school, except that no child under the age of ten (10) years shall be committed to a state training school. The training school may retain custody of the child until the child's twentieth birthday but for no longer. The superintendent of a state training school may parole a child at any time he may deem it in the best interest and welfare of such child. Twenty (20) days prior to such parole, the training school shall notify the committing court of the pending release. The youth court may then arrange subsequent placement after a reconvened disposition hearing except that the youth court may not recommit the child to the training school or any other secure facility without an adjudication of a new offense or probation or parole violation. Prior to assigning the custody of any child to any private institution or agency, the youth court through its designee shall first inspect the physical facilities to determine that they provide a reasonable standard of health and safety for the child. The youth court shall not place a child in the custody of a state training school for truancy, unless such child has been adjudicated to have committed an act of delinquency in addition to truancy; * * *

(h) Recommend to the child and the child's parents or guardian that the child attend and participate in the Youth Challenge Program under the Mississippi National Guard, as created in Section 43-27-203, subject to the selection of the child for the program by the National Guard; however, the child must volunteer to participate in the program. The youth court may not order any child to apply or attend the program;

(i) (i) Adjudicate the juvenile to the Statewide Juvenile Work Program if the program is established in the court's jurisdiction. The juvenile and his parents or guardians must sign a waiver of liability in order to participate in the work program. The judge will coordinate with the youth services counselors as to placing participants in the work program;

(ii) The severity of the crime, whether or not the juvenile is a repeat offender or is a felony offender will be taken into consideration by the judge when adjudicating a juvenile to the work program. The juveniles adjudicated to the work program will be supervised by police officers or reserve officers. The term of service will be from twenty-four (24) to one hundred twenty (120) hours of community service. A juvenile will work the hours to which he was adjudicated on the weekends during school and week days during the summer. Parents are responsible for a juvenile reporting for work. Noncompliance with an order to perform community service will result in a heavier adjudication. A juvenile may be adjudicated to the community service program only two (2) times; and

(iii) The judge shall assess an additional fine on the juvenile which will be used to pay the costs of implementation of the program and to pay for supervision by police officers and reserve officers. The amount of the fine will be based on the number of hours to which the juvenile has been adjudicated; or

(j) Order terms of house arrest under the intensive supervision program as created in Sections 47-5-1001 through 47-5-1015. The Department of Corrections shall take bids for the program provided by this act. The Department of Youth Services shall promulgate rules regarding the supervision of juveniles placed in the intensive supervision program. There shall be fifteen hundred (1,500) slots created in the intensive supervision program for juveniles. Any juvenile sentenced to house arrest shall be tested for alcohol and drugs, and if the juvenile tests positive for alcohol or drugs, the juvenile shall be ordered to participate in an alcohol and drug rehabilitation program. The juvenile shall pay Ten Dollars ($10.00) to offset the cost of administering the alcohol and drug test. The juveniles must attend school, alternative school or be in the process of working towards a general educational development (GED) certificate.

(2) In addition to any of the disposition alternatives authorized under subsection (1) of this section, the disposition order in any case in which the child is adjudicated delinquent for an offense under Section 63-11-30 shall include an order denying the driver's license and driving privileges of the child as required under subsection (8) of Section 63-11-30.

(3) Fines levied under this chapter shall be paid into the general fund of the county but, in those counties wherein the youth court is a branch of the municipal government, it shall be paid into the municipal treasury.

(4) Any institution or agency to which a child has been committed shall give to the youth court any information concerning the child as the youth court may at any time require.

(5) The youth court shall not place a child in another school district who has been expelled from a school district for the commission of a violent act. For the purpose of this subsection, "violent act" means any action which results in death or physical harm to another or an attempt to cause death or physical harm to another.

SECTION 2. Section 47-5-1007, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

47-5-1007. (1) Any participant in the intensive supervision program who engages in employment shall pay a monthly fee to the department for each month such person is enrolled in the program. The department may waive the monthly fee if the offender is a full-time student or is engaged in vocational training. Juvenile offenders shall pay a monthly fee of not less than Ten Dollars ($10.00) but not more than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) based on a sliding scale using the standard of need for each family that is used to calculate TANF benefits. Money received by the department from participants in the program shall be deposited into a special fund which is hereby created in the State Treasury. It shall be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purpose of helping to defray the costs involved in administering and supervising such program. Unexpended amounts remaining in the special fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned on amounts in the special fund shall be deposited to the credit of the special fund.

(2) The participant shall admit any correctional officer into his residence at any time for purposes of verifying the participant's compliance with the conditions of his detention.

(3) The participant shall make the necessary arrangements to allow for correctional officers to visit the participant's place of education or employment at any time, based upon the approval of the educational institution or employer, for the purpose of verifying the participant's compliance with the conditions of his detention.

(4) The participant shall acknowledge and participate with the approved electronic monitoring device as designated by the department at any time for the purpose of verifying the participant's compliance with the conditions of his detention.

(5) The participant shall be responsible for and shall maintain the following:

(a) A working telephone line in the participant's home;

(b) A monitoring device in the participant's home, or on the participant's person or both; and

(c) A monitoring device in the participant's home and on the participant's person in the absence of a telephone.

(6) The participant shall obtain approval from the correctional field officer before the participant changes residence.

(7) The participant shall not commit another crime during the period of home detention ordered by the court or department.

(8) Notice shall be given to the participant that violation of the order of home detention shall subject the participant to prosecution for the crime of escape as a felony.

(9) The participant shall abide by other conditions as set by the department.

SECTION 3. Section 47-5-1013, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

47-5-1013. Participants enrolled in an intensive supervision program shall be required to:

(a) Maintain employment if physically able, or full-time student status at an approved school or vocational trade, and make progress deemed satisfactory to the correctional field officer, or both, or be involved in supervised job searches.

(b) Pay restitution and program fees as directed by the department. Program fees shall not be less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) nor more than the actual cost of the program. The sentencing judge may charge a program fee of less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) in cases of extreme financial hardship, when such judge determines that the offender's participation in the program would provide a benefit to his community. Juvenile offenders shall not pay a program fee, but shall pay a monthly fee as provided in Section 47-5-1007. Program fees shall be deposited in the special fund created in Section 47-5-1007.

(c) Establish a place of residence at a place approved by the correctional field officer, and not change his residence without the officer's approval. The correctional officer shall be allowed to inspect the place of residence for alcoholic beverages, controlled substances and drug paraphernalia.

(d) Remain at his place of residence at all times except to go to work, to attend school, to perform community service and as specifically allowed in each instance by the correctional field officer.

(e) Allow administration of drug and alcohol tests as requested by the field officer.

(f) Perform not less than ten (10) hours of community service each month.

(g) Meet any other conditions imposed by the court to meet the needs of the offender and limit the risks to the community.

SECTION 4. Section 47-5-1003, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

47-5-1003. (1) An intensive supervision program may be used as an alternative to incarceration for offenders who are low risk and nonviolent as selected by the department or court and for juvenile offenders as provided in Section 43-21-605(j). Any offender convicted of a sex crime or a felony for the sale or manufacture of a controlled substance under the uniform controlled substances law shall not be placed in the program.

(2) If a court places an offender in the intensive supervision program, the court shall follow the procedure and time limits established under Section 47-7-47(2), Mississippi Code of 1972.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1998.