AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- FAMILY COURT (Establishes full-time juvenile hearing board coordinator to provide support and assistance to municipal juvenile hearing boards across the state. Any juvenile charged with a misdemeanor and who is a first offender, shall be referred to the hearing board.)

S2940

2026 -- S 2940
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LC005844
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- FAMILY COURT

Introduced By:
Senators Vargas, LaMountain, Quezada, Bell, DiMario, Urso, Mack,
Acosta, Bissaillon, and Euer

Date Introduced:
March 04, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 8-10-23.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 8-10 entitled "Family
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Court" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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8-10-23.1. Statewide juvenile hearing board.
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(a) The chief judge of the family court shall appoint a statewide juvenile hearing board
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coordinator who is qualified by education, training, previous experience in professional social
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welfare, personality, character, and special aptitude for the work, to serve at the pleasure of the
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chief judge.
The juvenile hearing board coordinator shall provide education, training, data
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collection and analysis, coordination, and assistance to cities and towns in the establishment and
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maintenance of juvenile hearing boards and teen courts. Juvenile hearing boards and/or teen courts
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shall report any data deemed necessary by the family court to perform the functions of the juvenile
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hearing board coordinator.

There is hereby established one full-time equivalent juvenile hearing
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board coordinator at the family court to provide support and assistance to all juvenile hearing boards
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across the State of Rhode Island. The coordinator's duties shall include, but are not limited to:
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(1) Coordination with local municipal police departments;
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(2) Establishing and maintaining a statewide community service program;
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(3) Providing education and training to juvenile hearing board members as needed;
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(4) Data collection, analysis and reporting;
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(5) Assistance to municipal juvenile hearing boards and partnering with nonprofit
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organizations engaged in juvenile services.

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(b) Any juvenile who is charged for the first time with a misdemeanor offense shall be
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referred to the juvenile hearing board of the municipality in which the alleged offense occurred,
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unless the parent or legal guardian and juvenile refuse participation in the juvenile hearing board.
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This referral shall apply only to an individual juvenile and shall not apply to offenses committed
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jointly or collectively.
No juvenile hearing board
or teen court
in the State of Rhode Island shall
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hear, or dispose of offenses that constitute felony offenses if committed by an adult, except by the
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express written consent of the chief justice of the family court; nor shall any juvenile hearing board
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or teen court
hear or dispose of any offense which has been amended from a felony offense to a
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misdemeanor offense, except by the express written consent of the chief justice of the family court.
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Juveniles, wherever they may live, upon a decision to refer the juvenile to the juvenile hearing
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board or teen court, shall be referred to the hearing board or teen court in the city or town where
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the offense was committed; provided, however, if the city or town does not have a hearing board
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or teen court, the juvenile shall be referred to the hearing board or teen court where the juvenile
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resides. The Statewide hearing board coordinator is responsible for setting up a statewide
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community service program which may be utilized by any hearing board or teen court.
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(b) The position of statewide juvenile hearing board coordinator is a pilot program which
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shall commence on July 1, 1998 and terminate on June 30, 2001, unless extended by the general
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assembly.

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(c) Each municipality shall have the authority to create a juvenile hearing board. Juveniles
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shall be referred to the hearing board in the municipality in which they reside; provided, however,
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if the municipality does not have a hearing board, it may enter into a mutual agreement or
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memorandum of understanding with a neighboring municipality that maintains an established
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juvenile hearing board for the purpose of hearing and resolving eligible juvenile matters pursuant
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to this section. If no neighboring municipality maintains an established juvenile hearing board, the
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municipality may enter into an agreement or memorandum of understanding with the
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geographically nearest municipality that maintains an established juvenile hearing board, as
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determined by the family court.
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(d) Each municipal police department and/or juvenile hearing board shall provide an annual
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report by January 31 of each year to the family court and members of the general assembly
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representing their jurisdiction, which shall include the number of juveniles who appeared before
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the juvenile hearing board in that municipality during the preceding year, the offenses with which
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the juveniles were charged, the outcome of each case that was referred to the juvenile hearing board,
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the age, gender, race and ethnicity of the juveniles referred to the juvenile hearing board, the
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number of re-arrests for each juvenile seen by the juvenile hearing board and the number of times

LC005844 - Page 2 of 4
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the juvenile hearing board met during the preceding year. The names, dates of birth or other
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identifying information of the juveniles shall not be included in the annual report.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- FAMILY COURT
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This act would establish a full-time juvenile hearing board coordinator to provide support
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and assistance to municipal juvenile hearing boards across the state. Any juvenile charged with a
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misdemeanor and who is a first offender, shall be referred to the hearing board. Each board would
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be required to submit a report each year detailing the cases that the board heard over the previous
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year.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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