2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 46b - Family Law
Chapter 815t - Juvenile Matters
Section 46b-133 - (Formerly Sec. 51-314). Arrest of child. Notice of arrest. Release or detention of arrested child. Alcohol or drug testing or treatment as condition of release. Report re suspected abuse or neglect. Admission of child to juvenile detention center.

(a) Nothing in this part shall be construed as preventing the arrest of a child, with or without a warrant, as may be provided by law, or as preventing the issuance of warrants by judges in the manner provided by section 54-2a, except that no child shall be taken into custody on such process except on apprehension in the act, or on speedy information, or in other cases when the use of such process appears imperative. Whenever a child is arrested and charged with a crime, such child may be required to submit to the taking of his photograph, physical description and fingerprints. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 46b-124, the name, photograph and custody status of any child arrested for the commission of a capital felony under the provisions of section 53a-54b in effect prior to April 25, 2012, or class A felony may be disclosed to the public.

(b) Whenever a child is brought before a judge of the Superior Court, such judge shall immediately have the case proceeded upon as a juvenile matter. Such judge may admit the child to bail or release the child in the custody of the child’s parent or parents, the child’s guardian or some other suitable person to appear before the Superior Court when ordered. If detention becomes necessary, such detention shall be in the manner prescribed by this chapter, provided the child shall be placed in the least restrictive environment possible in a manner consistent with public safety.

(c) Upon the arrest of any child by an officer, such officer may (1) release the child to the custody of the child’s parent or parents, guardian or some other suitable person or agency, (2) at the discretion of the officer, release the child to the child’s own custody, or (3) seek a court order to detain the child in a juvenile detention center. No child shall be placed in detention unless it appears from the available facts that there is probable cause to believe that the child has committed the acts alleged, there is no less restrictive alternative available and there is (A) a strong probability that the child will run away prior to the court hearing or disposition, (B) a strong probability that the child will commit or attempt to commit other offenses injurious to the child or to the community prior to the court disposition, (C) probable cause to believe that the child’s continued residence in the child’s home pending disposition poses a risk to the child or the community because of the serious and dangerous nature of the act or acts the child is alleged to have committed, (D) a need to hold the child for another jurisdiction, (E) a need to hold the child to assure the child’s appearance before the court, in view of the child’s previous failure to respond to the court process, or (F) a finding by the court that the child has violated one or more of the conditions of a suspended detention order. No child shall be held in any detention center unless an order to detain is issued by a judge of the Superior Court.

(d) (1) When a child is arrested for the commission of a delinquent act and the child is not placed in detention or referred to a diversionary program, an officer shall serve a written complaint and summons on the child and the child’s parent, guardian or some other suitable person or agency. If such child is released to the child’s own custody, the officer shall make reasonable efforts to notify, and to provide a copy of a written complaint and summons to, the parent or guardian or some other suitable person or agency prior to the court date on the summons. If any person so summoned wilfully fails to appear in court at the time and place so specified, the court may issue a warrant for the child’s arrest or a capias to assure the appearance in court of such parent, guardian or other person. If a child wilfully fails to appear in response to such a summons, the court may order such child taken into custody and such child may be charged with the delinquent act of wilful failure to appear under section 46b-120. The court may punish for contempt, as provided in section 46b-121, any parent, guardian or other person so summoned who wilfully fails to appear in court at the time and place so specified.

(2) Upon the arrest of any youth by an officer for a violation of section 53a-82, such officer shall report suspected abuse or neglect to the Department of Children and Families in accordance with the provisions of sections 17a-101b to 17a-101d, inclusive.

(e) The court or detention supervisor may turn such child over to a youth service program created for such purpose, if such course is practicable, or such child may be detained pending a hearing which shall be held on the business day next following the child’s arrest. No child shall be detained after such hearing or held in detention pursuant to a court order unless it appears from the available facts there is probable cause to believe that the child has committed the acts alleged, there is no less restrictive alternative available and that there is (1) a strong probability that the child will run away prior to the court hearing or disposition, (2) a strong probability that the child will commit or attempt to commit other offenses injurious to the child or to the community prior to the court disposition, (3) probable cause to believe that the child’s continued residence in the child’s home pending disposition poses a risk to the child or the community because of the serious and dangerous nature of the act or acts the child is alleged to have committed, (4) a need to hold the child for another jurisdiction, (5) a need to hold the child to assure the child’s appearance before the court, in view of the child’s previous failure to respond to the court process, or (6) a finding by the court that the child has violated one or more of the conditions of a suspended detention order. Such probable cause may be shown by sworn affidavit in lieu of testimony. No child shall be released from detention who is alleged to have committed a serious juvenile offense except by order of a judge of the Superior Court. Any child confined in a community correctional center or lockup shall be held in an area separate and apart from any adult detainee, except in the case of a nursing infant, and no child shall at any time be held in solitary confinement. When a female child is held in custody, she shall, as far as possible, be in the charge of a woman attendant.

(f) The police officer who brings a child into detention shall have first notified, or made a reasonable effort to notify, the parents or guardian of the child in question of the intended action and shall file at the detention center a signed statement setting forth the alleged delinquent conduct of the child. Unless the arrest was for a serious juvenile offense or unless an order not to release is noted on the take into custody order, arrest warrant or order to detain, the child may be released by a detention supervisor to the custody of the child’s parent or parents, guardian or some other suitable person or agency.

(g) In conjunction with any order of release from detention, the court may, when it has reason to believe a child is alcohol-dependent or drug-dependent as defined in section 46b-120, and where necessary, reasonable and appropriate, order the child to participate in a program of periodic alcohol or drug testing and treatment as a condition of such release. The results of any such alcohol or drug test shall be admissible only for the purposes of enforcing the conditions of release from detention.

(h) The detention supervisor of a juvenile detention center in charge of intake shall admit only a child who: (1) Is the subject of an order to detain or an outstanding court order to take such child into custody, (2) is ordered by a court to be held in detention, or (3) is being transferred to such center to await a court appearance.

(1949 Rev., S. 2810; 1959, P.A. 28, S. 54; P.A. 74-183, S. 211, 291; P.A. 76-426; 76-436, S. 22, 668, 681; P.A. 77-452, S. 24, 72; P.A. 80-236; P.A. 82-220; P.A. 83-504; P.A. 84-369, S. 1; P.A. 89-273, S. 3; P.A. 90-161, S. 2, 6; P.A. 95-225, S. 15; P.A. 98-256, S. 4; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 85; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-7, S. 72; P.A. 10-32, S. 165; P.A. 11-154, S. 1; 11-180, S. 1; P.A. 12-5, S. 11.)

History: 1959 act substituted circuit court for city, police, borough or town court; P.A. 74-183 replaced circuit court with court of common pleas, effective December 31, 1974; P.A. 76-426 authorized juvenile court, probation officer or other officer to turn child over to youth service program; P.A. 76-436 replaced references to court of common pleas and juvenile court with references to superior court and juvenile matters, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-452 made technical grammatical change; Sec. 17-65 temporarily renumbered as Sec. 51-314 and ultimately transferred to Sec. 46b-133 in 1979, and references to other sections within provisions revised as necessary by the Revisors to reflect their transfer; P.A. 80-236 authorized turning child over to juvenile detention center and similarly authorized detention supervisor to turn child over to youth service program; P.A. 82-220 added provision re taking photograph, physical description and fingerprints of child 14 or older arrested and charged with a felony; P.A. 83-504 divided section into Subsecs. and added provision re arrest of child by an officer for the commission of a serious juvenile offense as Subsec. (e); P.A. 84-369 revised the procedures for the release or detention of an arrested child including deleting the provision allowing the police officer to set bond for a child arrested for a serious juvenile offense, providing that a child arrested for any offense may either be released to the custody of his parent, guardian or some other suitable person or agency or turned over to a detention center, requiring the detention release hearing to be held on the next business day for all arrested children who are detained, prohibiting detention unless certain findings are made including probable cause that the child has committed the acts alleged, prohibiting release from detention of a child who has committed a serious juvenile offense except by order of a judge, and requiring a police officer to notify the parents or guardian of a child whom he intends to bring into detention; P.A. 89-273 added Subsec. (f) re the criteria for the admission of a child to a juvenile detention center when the population of the center equals or exceeds its maximum capacity; P.A. 90-161 inserted new Subsec. (f) permitting the court to order child to participate in drug testing and treatment as condition of release from detention, relettering former Subsec. as (g); P.A. 95-225 amended Subsec. (a) to revise provision re taking of the photograph, physical description and fingerprints of an arrested child by making it applicable to any child who is charged with a crime, rather than only to a child 14 years of age or older who is charged with a violation of any provision of title 53a which is designated a felony, and by providing that such child “may be required to” submit to such taking, rather than “shall” submit to such taking, and add provision permitting the disclosure to the public of the photograph of any child arrested for the commission of a capital felony or a class A felony, amended Subsec. (c) to add provisions requiring an officer to serve a written complaint and summons on a child and the parent, guardian or other person having control of a child who is arrested or referred for the commission of a delinquent act and is not placed in detention, requiring such parent, guardian or other person to execute a written promise to appear in court, authorizing the court to issue a warrant for the child’s arrest or a capias to assure the court appearance of the parent, guardian or other person if any person so summoned wilfully fails to appear in court and authorizing the court to punish for contempt any parent, guardian or other person who wilfully fails to appear in court and amended Subsec. (f) to authorize “alcohol” testing and treatment and allow the admissibility of the results of an “alcohol” test; P.A. 98-256 amended Subsec. (a) to revise provision authorizing the disclosure of the photograph of a child arrested for a capital felony or class A felony to also include the name and custody status of the child, amended Subsec. (c) to make requirement that an officer serve a written complaint and summons on a child arrested for a delinquent act and his parent, guardian or other person having control of the child inapplicable when the child is referred to a diversionary program and amended Subsec. (g) to add “an order to detain” in Subdiv. (2); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4 amended Subsec. (b) to require that child be placed in the least restrictive environment possible consistent with public safety, delete “or desirable” re detention and make technical changes, effective January 1, 2010; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-7 amended Subsec. (c) to insert Subdiv. designators (1) to (3) and insert provision in Subdiv. (2) to allow officer to release child to child’s own custody, substitute “other suitable person or agency” for “other person having control of the child” re service and copy of written complaint and summons, delete provision re parent, guardian or other person executing written promise to appear, add provision re notice and copy of written complaint and summons re child released to child’s own custody, and add provision re delinquent act of wilful failure to appear, amended Subsec. (d) to require that there be no less restrictive alternative available for detention of child, substitute “poses a risk to” for “will not safeguard the best interests of” re child or community in Subdiv. (3), insert Subdiv. (6) re child violating conditions of suspended detention order, and rewrite requirement re detention of child in area separate and apart from adult detainees, amended Subsec. (e) to prohibit release of child if “order not to release” is noted and add “or agency” re other suitable person, amended Subsec. (g) to substitute “shall admit only” for “shall only admit”, and made technical changes, effective January 1, 2010; P.A. 10-32 made a technical change in Subsec. (c), effective May 10, 2010; P.A. 11-154 amended Subsec. (c) to substitute “seek a court order to detain” for requirement that child be immediately turned over to juvenile detention center, and add requirement that no child be placed in detention unless it appears from available facts that specified factors exist, designated existing portions of Subsec. (c) re child not placed in detention or referred to diversionary program as Subsec. (d), redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) to (g) as Subsecs. (e) to (h), amended Subsec. (h) to delete language re overpopulated juvenile detention center and re child charged with serious juvenile offense, and made technical and conforming changes; P.A. 11-180 added provision, codified by the Revisors as Subsec. (d)(2), re report of arrest for violation of Sec. 53a-82; P.A. 12-5 amended Subsec. (a) to add reference to provisions of Sec. 53a-54b in effect prior to April 25, 2012, re commission of a capital felony, effective April 25, 2012.

Cited. 115 C. 591. Cited. 154 C. 644, 648. Under circumstances of the apprehension, and in view of fact that offices of juvenile court were closed, it was not practicable to turn plaintiff over to appropriate officials immediately after arrest, and ten-hour detention was not unreasonable. 171 C. 683, 689.

Annotations to present section:

Cited. 206 C. 346. Cited. 211 C. 289.

Cited. 46 CA 545.

Cited. 43 CS 211.

Subsec. (b):

Cited. 206 C. 323.

Subsec. (d):

Cited. 214 C. 454.

Subsec. (e):

Cited. 215 C. 739.