Plain English Breakdown
The official status shows the bill passed both chambers, but no effective date is listed yet.
Juvenile Facilities Visitation Physical Contact Act
This law adds a right for youth in juvenile facilities to have certain types of consensual, nonsexual physical contact with visitors during visits.
What This Bill Does
- Adds the right to engage in certain types of consensual and nonsexual physical contact during in-person visits to the Youth Bill of Rights.
- Requires that limits on this contact only happen when there is a significant safety or security concern.
- Mandates that facilities document any significant safety concerns and restrictions placed on physical contact.
- Requires all juvenile facilities to create rules and procedures for these new visitation rights.
Who It Names or Affects
- Youth confined in juvenile facilities
- Visitors who engage with youth during in-person visits
Terms To Know
- Youth Bill of Rights
- A set of rules that guarantees specific rights to young people living in juvenile facilities.
- Consensual physical contact
- Touching, such as hugging, that both the youth and the visitor agree to happen.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill does not list exactly which types of touch are allowed or banned.
- Reimbursement for costs depends on whether the Commission on State Mandates determines state-mandated costs exist.
- Specific rules for documenting safety concerns have not been written yet.