R547-3. Juvenile Jail Standards, R547. Human Services, Juvenile Justice Services, Utah Administrative Code

Utah Administrative Code (Current through November 1, 2019)

R547. Human Services, Juvenile Justice Services

R547-3. Juvenile Jail Standards

R547-3-1. Authority

Latest version.

Section 62A-1-111 authorizes the Department of Human Services to adopt administrative rules.

R547-3-2. Definitions and References

Latest version.

(1) Definitions.

(a) "Low density population" means ten or less people per square mile.

(b) "Nonoffenders" means abused, neglected, or dependent youth.

(c) "Sight and sound separation" means that juvenile detainees must be located or arranged as to be completely separated from incarcerated adults by sight and sound barriers such that the adult inmates cannot see juvenile detainees and vice versa. Also, conversation is not possible between juvenile detainees and adult inmates.

(d) "Status offense" means a violation of the law that would not be a violation but for the age of the offender.

(2) References.

(a) Standards from the Manual of Standards for Juvenile Detention Facilities and Services, also referred to as American Correctional Association (ACA) Standards, revision date of February 1979, were researched as background for the rules.

R547-3-3. Standards for Six Hour Juvenile Detention in Jail

Latest version.

(1) Juveniles under the age of 18 shall not be confined in a county operated jail used for accused or convicted adult offenders except:

(a) when the juvenile is 16 years of age or older and district court has exclusive original jurisdiction, Section 78A-6-701;

(b) when the juvenile is 16 years of age or older and has been bound over to district court for criminal proceedings, in accordance with serious youth offender procedures, Subsection 78A-6-702(3);

(c) when the juvenile is 14 years of age or older and has been certified to be held for criminal proceedings in district court, Section 78A-6-703 and Subsection 78A-6-602(3);

(d) in areas characterized by low density population. The state Juvenile Justice Services agency may promulgate regulations providing for specific approved juvenile holding accommodations within adult facilities which have acceptable sight and sound separation to be utilized for short-term holding purposes with a maximum confinement of six hours to allow adequate time for identification or interrogation and to evaluate needs and circumstances regarding transportation, detention, or release of the juvenile in custody, Section 62A-7-201.

(2) The Division of Juvenile Justice Services may certify a jail to hold juveniles who are alleged to have committed a non-status offense or are accused of juvenile handgun possession for up to six hours if the following criteria are met:

(a) in areas characterized by low density population;

(b) no existing acceptable alternative placement exists which will protect the juvenile and the community;

(d) no juvenile under ten years of age will be held by holding authorities, as set forth in the following standards, for any length of time.

(3) Any jail or adult holding facility intended for use for juveniles must be certified by the State Division of Juvenile Justice Services.

(4) There shall be acceptable sight and sound separation from adult inmates. Written policy and procedure shall exist to assure supervision is maintained so that both visual contact and verbal communication between juvenile detainees and adult inmates is prohibited.

(5) The jail's juvenile detention room(s) shall conform to all applicable zoning laws.

(6) The jail's juvenile detention room(s) shall conform to all applicable local and state safety, fire, and building codes.

(7) The jail's juvenile detention room(s) shall conform to all applicable local and state health codes.

(8) The juvenile population shall not exceed the jail's certified capacity for juveniles.

(9) All juvenile housing and activity areas provide for, at a minimum:

(a) toilet and wash basin accessibility;

(b) hot and cold running water in wash basin and drinking water;

(10) Whenever juveniles are detained, there shall be at a minimum:

(a) Removal of all property from the juvenile that could compromise the juvenile's safety, such as belts, shoelaces and suspenders, prior to placing a juvenile in a holding room;

(b) constant on-site supervision through visual or TV monitoring and audio two way communication;

(d) a written record of significant incidents and activities of the juvenile.

(11) The written policies and procedures providing for specific rules governing the supervision of inmates by jail staff of the opposite sex shall specifically provide for the following when the inmates are juveniles:

(a) An adult staff member of the same sex as the juvenile shall be present when a juvenile is securely held.

(b) Except in an emergency the staff member entering a juvenile's sleeping room shall be of the same sex. If there are two staff members entering the sleeping room, there may be one male and one female. When an emergency prevents the same sex staff member from entering the juvenile's room, then at least two opposite sex staff members must be present and a written report must be completed and kept on file justifying the necessity for the deviation from same sex supervision.

(c) When procedures require physical contact or examination, such as strip searches, these shall be done by a staff member of the same sex in private without TV monitoring. Procedures for body cavity searches shall conform to jail standards.

(d) A staff member of the same sex shall supervise the personal hygiene activities and care such as showers, toilet, and related activities.

(e) The use of restraints or physical force are restricted to instances of justifiable self-defense, protection of juveniles and others, protection of property and prevention of escapes, and only when it is necessary to control juveniles and in accordance with the principle of least restrictive action. In no event is physical force justifiable as punishment. A written report is prepared following all uses of force and is submitted to the facility administrator.

(12) Male and female residents shall not occupy the same sleeping room at the same time.

(13) There shall be no viewing devices, such as peep holes, mirrors, of which the juvenile is not aware.

(14) No inmate, juvenile or adult, shall be allowed to have authority or disciplinary control over, be permitted to supervise, or provide direct services of any nature to other detained juveniles.

(15) The juvenile's health and safety while jailed shall be safeguarded. The jail administration shall:

(a) have services available to provide 24 hours a day emergency medical care;

(b) provide for immediate examination and treatment, if necessary, of juveniles injured on the jail premises;

(c) not accept juveniles who are unconscious, obviously seriously injured, obviously a suicide risk, obviously emotionally disturbed, or obviously under the influence of alcohol or drugs and are unable to care for themselves, until they have been examined by a qualified medical practitioner or have been taken to a medical facility for appropriate diagnosis and treatment and released back to the jail;

(d) train all jail staff members to recognize symptoms of mental illness;

(e) provide for the detoxification of a juvenile in the jail only when there is no community health facility to transfer the juvenile to for detoxification;

(f) require that any medical services provided while the juvenile is held be recorded.

(16) As long as classification standards are met, juvenile detainees may be housed together if age, compatibility, dangerousness, and other relevant factors are considered.

(17) Adult jails that are certified to hold juveniles for up to six hours must have written procedures which govern the acceptance of such juveniles. These procedures must include the following:

(a) When an officer or other person takes a juvenile into custody, the officer shall without unnecessary delay notify the parents, guardian, or custodian.

(b) The jail staff shall verify with the officer or other person taking the juvenile into custody that the juvenile's parents, guardian, or custodian have been notified of the juvenile's detention in jail. If notification did not occur, jail staff will contact the juvenile's parents, guardian, or custodian.

(c) The officer shall also promptly file with the detention or shelter facility a brief written report stating the facts which appear to bring the juvenile within the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court and give the reason why the juvenile was not released.

(18) There must be written policy and procedures that require that the decision to detain the juvenile for up to six hours or to release the juvenile from jail be in accordance with the following principles:

(a) A juvenile shall not be detained by policy any longer than is reasonably necessary to obtain the juvenile's name, age, residence, and any other necessary information, and to contact the juvenile's parents, guardian, or custodian.

(b) The juvenile shall then be released to the care of the parent or other responsible adult unless the immediate welfare or the protection of the community requires that the juvenile be detained or that it is unsafe for the juvenile or the public to leave the juvenile in the care of the parents, guardian, or custodian. On release from jail, the parent or other person to whom the juvenile is released may be required to sign a written promise on forms supplied by the court to bring the juvenile to court at a time set, or to be set, by the court, Subsection 78A-6-112(3).

(19) The written procedures for admitting juvenile detainees will include completion of an admission form on all juveniles that includes, as a minimum, the following information:

(a) date and time of admission and release;

(b) name, nicknames, and aliases;

(d) law enforcement jurisdiction, name, and title, of delivering officer;

(e) specific charge(s);

(f) sex;

(g) date of birth and place of birth;

(h) race or nationality;

(i) medical problems, if any;

(j) parents, guardian, or responsible person to notify in case of emergency, including addresses and telephone numbers;

(k) space for remarks, to include notation of any open wounds or sores requiring treatment, evidence of disease or body vermin, or tattoos;

(l) probation officer or caseworker assigned, if any;

(20) Juvenile processing procedures shall include written safeguards to prohibit nonoffenders from being detained in the facility and to ensure youth are held in accordance with R547-3-3.

(21) There must be a written procedure governing the transfer of a juvenile to an appropriate juvenile facility which includes the following:

(a) If the juvenile is to be transferred to a juvenile facility, the juvenile must be transported there without unnecessary delay, but in no case more than six hours after being taken into custody. A copy of the report stating the facts which appear to bring the juvenile within the jurisdiction of the court and giving the reason for not releasing the juvenile shall be transmitted with the juvenile when transported.

(b) A written record shall be retained on file of all juveniles released, stating as a minimum to whom they were released, the release date, time, and authority.

(i) verification of identity;

(ii) verification of release papers;

(iii) completion of release arrangements;

(iv) return of juvenile detainee's personal effects and funds;

(v) verification that no jail property or other resident property leaves the jail with the juvenile.

(22) The written procedures governing the stay of a juvenile shall include:

(a) A juvenile, while held in a certified jail, shall have the same legal and civil rights as an adult inmate.

(b) A juvenile, while held in a certified jail, shall have the right to the same number of telephone calls as an adult inmate held the same amount of time.

(c) Unless the juvenile is to be transferred to an approved detention facility, visits should be limited to the juvenile's attorney, clergyman, and officers of the court. If the juvenile is to be transferred, an effort shall be made to provide for visitation by the juvenile's parents, guardian, or custodian prior to the transfer.

(d) If a juvenile is held during daylight hours the juvenile should be allowed access to reading materials. Where feasible the juvenile should be provided access to physical exercise and recreation, such as radio and TV.

(23) A case record shall be maintained on each juvenile admitted to a certified jail. Policies and procedures concerning the case records and the information in them shall be established which meet the following as a minimum:

(a) The contents of case records shall be identified and separated according to an established format.

(b) Case records shall be safeguarded from unauthorized and improper disclosure, in accordance with written policies and in compliance with Section 78A-6-209 and Section 78A-6-1104.

(c) The facility shall assure that no information shall be entered into a case record that is incomplete, inaccurate, or unsubstantiated. At any point that it becomes apparent that this has occurred, the facility shall immediately make the necessary correction.

(24) A case record shall be maintained on each juvenile, as appropriate, and kept in a secure place. It shall contain as a minimum the following information and documents:

(a) initial intake information form;

(b) documented legal authority to accept, detain, and release juveniles;

(d) consent for necessary medical or surgical care, signed by parent, person acting in loco parentis, Juvenile Court judge, or facility official;

(e) record of medication administered;

(f) record of incident reports;

(g) a record of cash and valuables held;

(h) visitors' names, if any, personal and professional, and dates of visits;

(i) final discharge or transfer report.

(25) The jail facility director shall submit to the state Division of Juvenile Justice Services agency a monthly accurate report of the numbers of juveniles confined during the preceding month and provide information on each juvenile in the categories indicated on the report form as provided by the State.