PART IV-B. JUVENILE INSTITUTIONS

§901. Juvenile reception and diagnostic center; establishment, commitment of juveniles, substance abuse inpatient program, order, report, fact of commitment

            A. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections may establish, operate, and maintain juvenile reception and diagnostic centers located on the premises of the Louisiana Training Institute in East Baton Rouge Parish and at other locations designated to meet the regional diagnostic needs of adjudicated youth.

            B. The order of commitment shall be furnished to the department at or prior to the transfer of the child and shall include that the child has been adjudicated delinquent. The court shall also furnish at that time the information required by Article 903 of the Children's Code and, in addition, shall specify whether the child was represented by counsel, the counsel's name and address, or that the child waived the right to counsel, and the age of the child at the time of the offense. The court shall also specify, in years and months, the maximum period of confinement. The court at the time of transfer shall transmit all relevant reports in its possession concerning the child, including reports reflecting his social background, mode of living, family status, school records, behavior tendencies, psychological and psychiatric assessments, or any one or combination of the foregoing.

            C. The order of commitment may require the department to take physical custody of a child adjudicated a delinquent, committed to its custody pursuant to Article 897(D) or 899(D) of the Children's Code, and recommended by the court or the department for assignment to a secure program or facility, within fourteen days from the date of the court's signing of the judgment of disposition when the child is in or is going to be placed in the physical custody of a parish juvenile facility. If a court modifies a judgment of disposition, in accordance with Chapter 17 of Title VIII of the Children's Code, and gives the department custody of the adjudicated delinquent, the provisions of this Section and Article 903 of the Children's Code apply.

            D.(1) Upon commitment to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, the department shall have sole custody of the child and, except as provided for in Children's Code Article 897.1, shall determine the child's placement, care, and treatment, and the expenditures to be made therefor, through appropriate examinations, tests, or evaluations conducted under the supervision of the department. The department shall comply with the provisions of Chapter 17 of Title VIII of the Children's Code for any modification of the original disposition when the adjudicated juvenile has been placed in the custody of the department.

            (2) Any child identified in the evaluation process as a substance abuser shall be counseled regarding the availability of the juvenile substance abuse inpatient facility provided for in R.S. 15:901.1 and its appropriateness for the particular child.

            E. A court exercising juvenile court jurisdiction may, after exhausting all other state and local diagnostic, testing, and evaluation resources, temporarily assign a child to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections with recommendations for diagnostic testing and evaluation services in accordance with Articles 888 and 890 of the Children's Code. The court assigning a child to the department shall provide written findings indicating the need for such services. The department shall provide such services to the extent resources are available. Assignments to the department for such services shall not exceed thirty calendar days.

            F. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall have an individualized plan for each child committed to the department except for a child committed to the department following adjudication for contempt. The plan shall be developed after consultation with the child and the family, if feasible. A copy may be forwarded to the court.

            G.(1) Community placement services shall have authority and responsibilities for children adjudicated delinquent or in need of supervision, including but not limited to the following:

            (a) To assess or arrange for the assessment of the needs of each child.

            (b) To provide or arrange for the provision of comprehensive diagnosis and evaluation services as the needs of each child warrant.

            (c) To develop comprehensive service plans for each child.

            (d) With respect to children committed to the custody of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections pursuant to the provisions of Articles 672, 792.53, 897, 899, and 1509 of the Children's Code, the secretary of the department shall develop rules and regulations to govern the assignment of such children to specific facilities and institutions operated by the department directly or through contractual arrangements.

            (e) To place children in the setting most appropriate to their needs, including any nonresidential, community-based residential, and institutional programs operated by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, as well as programs operated by other public or private agencies with which the department enters into contractual or purchase of services arrangements.

            (f) To periodically monitor and review the progress of each child, and modify the child's service plan as warranted, through a multidisciplinary panel.

            (2) The following rules shall be followed with regard to client placement functions:

            (a) No program or unit shall be required to provide services to a client if the provision of such services would place the program in violation of any state or federal statute or court order.

            (b) The secretary of the department may overrule a decision of the client placement unit upon appeal by any program or unit on grounds that such placement would be inconsistent with the child's needs. For all cases which are appealed to the secretary, a notation shall be made in the child's file indicating the grounds for such appeal, the decision made by the secretary, and the secretary's reasons for upholding or failing to uphold the original placement decision.

            (c) No public or private agency operating under contractual or purchase of service arrangements with the department shall be required to provide services to a child if the provision of such services is contradictory to the terms of the contractual or purchase of service arrangement or is in conflict with the policies of the agency or the decisions of its governing authority.

            Added by Acts 1970, No. 353, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 443, §1; Acts 1980, No. 740, §1; Acts 1981, No. 126, §1; Acts 1984, No. 99, §1; Acts 1984, No. 567, §6, eff. Jan. 1, 1985; Acts 1986, No. 328, §1; Acts 1987, No. 57, §1; Acts 1989, No. 4, §1, eff. June 1, 1989; Acts 1991, No. 467, §2; Acts 1992, No. 200, §2; Acts 1992, No. 699, §1; Acts 1993, No. 430, §1; Acts 1993, No. 873, §1; Acts 1995, No. 795, §1; Acts 1997, No. 615, §2, eff. July 3, 1997; Acts 2018, No. 467, §1.