Concerning measures to ensure that sufficient juvenile detention beds are available to address juvenile crime in proportion to annual juvenile detention projections, and, in connection therewith, setting the juvenile detention bed cap at two hundred fifty-four juvenile detention beds in the 2025-26 state fiscal year; and in subsequent state fiscal years, using an automatic determination of the number of juvenile detention beds that reflects the juvenile detention average daily population projection.
For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, and for each state fiscal year thereafter, the bill requires the general assembly to appropriate $1,980,137 from the general fund to the department of human services (department) for youth who are detained and can be placed in environments other than detention. Under current law, the department is required to use $1,359,982 of its annual appropriation for temporary emergency detention beds for juveniles. The bill repeals this requirement.
Under current law, only 215 juvenile detention beds are allowed statewide. The bill:
- For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, increases this cap to 254 juvenile detention beds; and
- For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, and each state fiscal year thereafter, sets the cap at 125% of the juvenile detention average daily population projection (projection).
The cap excludes juveniles who are in detention for committing a delinquent act that would constitute a class 1 felony if it were committed by an adult. The bill requires the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety to include the projection in an existing report.
The bill requires the general assembly to annually appropriate $1,359,982, plus any additional amount necessary to fully fund the projection, to the department for juvenile detention beds.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)