Maryland SB 1134: Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council

Bill Text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb1134*

SENATE BILL 1134
E3 8lr3681
CF HB 1524
By: Senator Ferguson
Introduced and read first time: February 16, 2018
Assigned to: Rules

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council 2

FOR the purpose of establishing the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council; providing for 3
the composition, chair, and staffing of the Council; prohibiting a member of the 4
Council from receiving certain compensation, but authorizing the reimbursement of 5
certain expenses; specifying the duties of the Council; authorizing the Council to 6
request certain technical assistance; requiring the Council to report its findings and 7
recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before a certain 8
date; providing for the termination of this Act; and generally relating to the Juvenile 9
Justice Coordinating Council. 10

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That: 12

(a) There is a Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council in the Governor’s Office of 13
Crime Control and Prevention. 14

(b) The Council consists of the following members: 15

(1) three members of the Senate of Maryland, appointed by the President 16
of the Senate; 17

(2) three members of the House of Delegates, appointed by the Speaker of 18
the House; 19

(3) the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services, or the 20
Secretary’s designee; 21

(4) the Secretary of Juvenile Services, or the Secretary’s designee; 22

(5) the Attorney General of Maryland, or the Attorney General’s designee; 23

2 SENATE BILL 1134

(6) the Public Defender of Maryland, or the Public Defender’s designee; 1

(7) a representative of the Maryland Judiciary, appointed by the Chief 2
Judge of the Court of Appeals; and 3

(8) the following members, appointed by the Executive Director of the 4
Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention: 5

(i) a representative of local law enforcement agencies; 6

(ii) a representative of the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association; 7

(iii) any other member with expertise relevant to the work of the 8
Council; and 9

(iv) an advocate for juvenile justice reform. 10

(c) The Executive Director shall be the chair of the Council. 11

(d) The Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention shall provide staff for 12
the Council. 13

(e) A member of the Council: 14

(1) may not receive compensation as a member of the Council; but 15

(2) is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State 16
Travel Regulations. 17

(f) The Council shall: 18

(1) convene an advisory stakeholder group that includes organizations 19
with experience in: 20

(i) juvenile justice policy reform; 21

(ii) advocating for groups with disproportionate contact with the 22
juvenile justice and criminal justice systems; 23

(iii) advocating for victims of crime; and 24

(iv) community conferencing and mediation for restorative justice; 25

(2) working with the advisory stakeholder group, conduct roundtable 26
discussion forums seeking public input in all geographic regions of the State; 27

SENATE BILL 1134 3

(3) review information related to: 1

(i) the results of complaints against juveniles, including: 2

1. the recidivism rate of juveniles whose complaints are 3
diverted from the juvenile justice system; 4

2. the number of times the juvenile court dismisses juvenile 5
cases contrary to the recommendations of the Department of Juvenile Services; 6

3. the reasons for the dismissal of juvenile complaints by the 7
State’s Attorney; and 8

4. data on juveniles against whom multiple complaints have 9
been filed, but whose cases are processed without court involvement; 10

(ii) the number of juvenile cases handled by the Office of the Public 11
Defender by jurisdiction; 12

(iii) the number of staff the Office of the Public Defender has 13
dedicated to the representation of juvenile clients by jurisdiction, including attorneys, 14
support staff, social workers, and therapists; 15

(iv) continued contact by the Office of the Public Defender with a 16
juvenile client after the juvenile’s case is completed; 17

(v) effective out–of–school programs for juveniles found to be 18
delinquent or at risk of delinquency; 19

(vi) the number of Assistant State’s Attorneys who handle juvenile 20
cases; 21

(vii) the qualifications and number of staff employed by the 22
Department of Juvenile Services who directly interact with juveniles; 23

(viii) wrap–around services for juveniles and their families; and 24

(ix) best practices and evidence–based practices in juvenile justice, 25
including practices recommended by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 26
Prevention and in other states; 27

(4) study any other relevant information available from the Department of 28
Juvenile Services; and 29

(5) make recommendations regarding improvements to the juvenile justice 30
system in the St