Community juvenile crime prevention programs

2025-2026 Bill 5121: Community juvenile crime prevention programs - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Download
This Bill
in Microsoft Word Format
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
H. 5121
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Cox, Garvin, Holman, T. Moore, Sessions, Wetmore, C. Mitchell and Yow
Document Path: LC-0315HDB26.docx
Introduced in the House on February 5, 2026
Currently residing in the House Committee on
Judiciary
Summary: Community juvenile crime prevention programs
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/5/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 18
)

2/5/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 18
)

2/17/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: C.
Mitchell, Yow

2/25/2026

House

Committee report: Favorable
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 5
)

3/3/2026

House

Recommitted to Committee on
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 37
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/05/2026
02/25/2026

Committee Report

February 25, 2026

H. 5121

Introduced
by Reps. Cox, Garvin, Holman, T. Moore, Sessions, Wetmore, C. Mitchell and Yow

S. Printed 2/25/26--H.

Read the first time February 5, 2026

________

The committee on House Judiciary

To whom was referred a Bill (H. 5121) to amend
the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Article 25 to Chapter 19, Title 63 so
as to establish a community juvenile crime prevention program by which public,
etc., respectfully

Report:

That they have duly and carefully considered
the same, and recommend that the same do pass:

W. NEWTON for Committee.

statement of estimated fiscal impact

Explanation of Fiscal Impact

State Expenditure

This bill requires DJJ to adopt policies,
procedures, and promulgate regulations for the purpose of developing and
administering a voluntary certification for community juvenile crime prevention
programs. The programs may be operated by public or private nonprofit entities.
DJJ must publish on its website a registry of all certified programs. While it
is acceptable for a community juvenile crime prevention program to operate
without certification from DJJ, it is unlawful for any owner, staff, or
operator of an uncertified program to advertise or otherwise represent that the
program is certified. Persons who violate this provision are subject to a
civil penalty of not less than $100 nor more than $500 per occurrence.

Judicial.
This bill may increase
the number of local court cases. While these are locally funded courts, Judicial
offers administrative support for these courts. Judicial anticipates being
able to manage any increase in workload using existing appropriations.
However, if this bill results in an unexpected,
significant increase in the caseload, and thereby, Judicial's administrative
support, Judicial will request additional General Fund appropriations.

Department of Juvenile Justice.
This
bill will require DJJ to either hire 2.0 FTEs, program managers, or contract
with a private vendor who has experience in working with nonprofits. If DJJ
opts to hire the 2.0 FTEs to administer the certification program, it would
need at least $270,000 in recurring funds for personnel costs and may also need
an undetermined amount of non-recurring funds for startup costs. If DJJ opts
to hire an outside contractor to manage the certification program, recurring
expenditures are estimated to be $300,000 annually beginning in FY 2026-27. DJJ
further indicates that the agency has 2.0 vacant FTEs but will need to request
a General Fund appropriation increase to cover the funding for the FTEs or for
the contract expenses.

State Revenue

This bill may result in a change in the
fines and fees collected in court. Court fines and fees are distributed to the
General Fund, Other Funds, and local funds. Therefore, RFA anticipates this
bill may result in a change to the General Fund and Other Funds revenue due to
the change in fines and fees collections in court.

Local Expenditure

This bill imposes a civil penalty of not
less than $100 nor more than $500 for the unlawful representation of an
uncertified community juvenile crime prevention program as being certified.
This bill may increase local expenses due to the
potential increase in the caseload in the local court system. The amount of the
expenses will depend upon the increase in the number of cases heard in the
local court system.

Frank A. Rainwater, Executive Director

Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office

_______

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING ARTICLE
25 TO CHAPTER 19, TITLE 63 SO AS TO ESTABLISH A COMMUNITY JUVENILE CRIME
PREVENTION PROGRAM BY WHICH PUBLIC OR PRIVATE NONPROFIT ENTITIES MAY BE
CERTIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE JUSTICE TO PROVIDE CERTAIN SERVICES AND
ACTIVITIES INTENDED TO PREVENT JUVENILE CRIME AND DELINQUENCY, TO PROVIDE FOR
THE CERTIFICATION OF COMMUNITY JUVENILE CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAMS BY THE
DEPARTMENT, TO ESTABLISH A CIVIL PENALTY FOR THE UNLAWFUL REPRESENTATION OF AN
UNCERTIFIED PROGRAM AS CERTIFIED, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT SHALL
PROMULGATE NECESSARY REGULATIONS TO EFFECTUATE THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ARTICLE.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
C
hapter 19, Title 63 of the S.C. Code is amended by
adding:

A
rticle 25

C
ommunity Juvenile Crime Prevention Programs

S
ection
63-19-2500
. The General Assembly finds that children and adolescents who are
at risk of engaging in criminal or delinquent behavior have a higher likelihood
of achieving long-term success and lawful, productive lives when they are
connected to community-based prevention and intervention services that meet
objective, evidence-informed quality standards. The General Assembly further
finds that this State and its political subdivisions have a legitimate and
compelling interest in protecting these youth and their families, who represent
a vulnerable population in need of safe, constructive, and developmentally
appropriate supports. The intention of the General Assembly is to prevent
juvenile crime and delinquency by encouraging the development and use of
high-quality community programs for at-risk youth through the creation of a
voluntary certification program for such programs that meet the standards
established pursuant to this article.

S
ection
63-19-2510
. For purposes of this article, "community juvenile crime prevention
program" or "program" means a locally based, nonresidential initiative operated
by a public or private nonprofit entity, being lawfully organized and in good
standing with the State of South Carolina, that provides structured services
and activities to children and adolescents for the primary purposes of
preventing juvenile crime and delinquency, and encouraging juvenile justice
reform.

S
ection
63-19-2520
.
(
A) The department
shall adopt policies, procedures, and promulgate regulations for the purpose of
developing and administering a voluntary certification for community juvenile
crime prevention programs. The department is authorized to suspend or revoke
the certification of a program if the department determines, in its sole
discretion, that the program has not followed the requirements of this article.

(
B)
The department shall establish certification requirements consistent with
nationally recognized quality standards.

(
C)
The department may provide different classifications or categories of programs.

(
D)
Standards for all classifications or categories must include, at minimum, the
following:

(
1)
documentation showing organization and good standing in the State of South
Carolina;

(
2)
evidence of compliance with all Internal Revenue Service filings and public
disclosure requirements;

(
3)
a mission statement explaining how the program addresses:

(
a)
target youth who are at risk of involvement, or further involvement, in the
juvenile or criminal justice system; and

(
b)
identified risk and protective factors through evidence-informed strategies
such as mentoring, education, family support, prosocial skill building,
employment, or recreational opportunities;

(
4)
a statement of in-place comprehensive child protection and abuse prevention
policies, including mandatory reporting procedures consistent with state law
and response protocols, including state and federal sex offender
registry-related screening and disclosure requirements; and

(
5)
any additional information or documentation deemed necessary for certification
by the department.

(
E)
The department shall publish a registry of the names of all certified community
juvenile crime prevention programs on its website.

S
ection
63-19-2530
. Nothing in this article prohibits a program that has not received
certification from operating or advertising as a community juvenile crime
prevention program.

S
ection
63-19-2540
. It is unlawful for any owner, staff, or operator of a community
juvenile crime prevention program that is not certified pursuant to this
article to advertise or otherwise represent that such program is certified
pursuant to this article. An owner or operator of a program who violates this
section is subject to a civil penalty of not less than one hundred dollars nor
more than five hundred dollars per occurrence.

S
ection
63-19-2550
. The department shall promulgate regulations to effectuate the
provisions of this article.

S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect one hundred
eighty days after approval by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on February 25, 2026 at 3:23 PM