2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 46b - Family Law
Chapter 815t - Juvenile Matters
Section 46b-121k - Programs, services and facilities for juvenile offenders.

(a)(1) The Judicial Branch shall develop constructive programs for the prevention and reduction of delinquency and crime among juvenile offenders. To develop such programs, the executive director of the Court Support Services Division within the Judicial Branch shall cooperate with other agencies to encourage the establishment of new programs and to provide a continuum of services for juvenile offenders who do not require secure placement, including, but not limited to, juveniles classified pursuant to the risk assessment instrument described in section 46b-121i, as those who may be released with structured supervision and those who may be released without supervision. When appropriate, the Judicial Branch shall coordinate such programs with the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

(2) The programs shall be tailored to the type of juvenile, including the juvenile’s offense history, age, maturity and social development, gender, mental health, alcohol dependency or drug dependency, need for structured supervision and other characteristics, and shall be culturally appropriate, trauma-informed and provided in the least restrictive environment possible in a manner consistent with public safety. The Judicial Branch shall develop programs that provide: (A) Intensive general education, with an individualized remediation plan for each juvenile; (B) appropriate job training and employment opportunities; (C) counseling sessions in anger management and nonviolent conflict resolution; (D) treatment and prevention programs for alcohol dependency and drug dependency; (E) mental health screening, assessment and treatment; (F) sexual offender treatment; and (G) services for families of juveniles.

(b) The Judicial Branch may contract to establish regional secure residential facilities and regional highly supervised residential and nonresidential facilities for juveniles referred by the court. Such facilities shall operate within contracted-for capacity limits. Such facilities shall be exempt from the licensing requirements of section 17a-145.

(c) The Judicial Branch shall collaborate with private residential facilities providing residential programs and with community-based nonresidential postrelease programs.

(d) The Judicial Branch, as part of a publicly bid contract for an alternative incarceration program, may include a requirement that the contractor provide for space necessary for juvenile probation offices and other staff of the Court Support Services Division to perform their duties.

(e) Any program developed by the Judicial Branch that is designed to prevent or reduce delinquency and crime among juvenile offenders shall be gender specific, as necessary, and shall comprehensively address the unique needs of a targeted gender group.

(f) The Judicial Branch shall consult with the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparity in the Criminal Justice System established pursuant to section 51-10c to address the needs of minorities in the juvenile justice system.

(P.A. 95-225, S. 6, 52; P.A. 98-256, S. 2; P.A. 01-181, S. 3; P.A. 02-132, S. 20; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 84; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-7, S. 92.)

History: P.A. 95-225 effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 98-256 amended Subsec. (b) to replace “juveniles sentenced to probation by the court” with “juveniles referred by the court”; P.A. 01-181 added Subsec. (d) re any program developed by Office of Alternate Sanctions designed to prevent or reduce delinquency and crime among juvenile offenders to be gender specific; P.A. 02-132 replaced “Office of Alternative Sanctions” with “Court Support Services Division” in Subsecs. (a), (c) and (d), replaced “director” with “executive director of the Court Support Services Division” in Subsec. (a) and replaced “Office of Alternative Sanctions” with “Judicial Department” in Subsec. (b); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4 inserted new Subdiv. (1) and (2) and Subpara. (A) to (G) designators in Subsec. (a), amended Subsec. (a)(1) re juveniles classified pursuant to risk assessment instrument as those who may be released with or without supervision and coordination of programs with Departments of Children and Families and Mental Health and Addiction Services, rewrote Subsec. (a)(2) re programs and services, and inserted Subsec. (e) re consultation with Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparity, effective July 1, 2007; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-7 substituted “Judicial Branch” for “Judicial Department” and “Court Support Services Division”, amended Subsec. (a) to insert “within the Judicial Branch”, inserted new Subsec. (d) re requirement in publicly bid contract for space necessary for juvenile probation offices and other staff to perform duties, and redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) and (e) as Subsecs. (e) and (f), effective October 5, 2009.