GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1999

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 505

Short Title:  Cumberland Juv. Assessment Center.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Representatives Morris; Hurley, Kinney, McAllister, and Warner.

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Referred to:  Appropriations.

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March 18, 1999

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO CONTINUE THE OPERATION OF THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY JUVENILE ASSESSMENT CENTER PROJECT AND TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THAT PURPOSE.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.(a)	The Office of Juvenile Justice, in collaboration with the Chief Court Counselor of District Court District 12, the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, and the appropriate local school administrative units, shall continue operation of the Juvenile Assessment Center Project in District Court District 12 and established in Section 18.21 of S.L. 1997-443, as amended by Section 16.6 of S.L. 1998-212. The purpose of the Project is to facilitate efficient prevention and intervention service delivery to juveniles who are (i) alleged to be delinquent or undisciplined and have been taken into custody or (ii) at risk of becoming delinquent or undisciplined because they have behavioral problems and have committed delinquent acts even though they have not been taken into custody.  The Project shall also provide services to the families of these juveniles and shall assist these juveniles by providing a centralized point of intake and assessment for the juveniles, by addressing the educational, emotional, and physical needs of the juveniles, and by providing juveniles with an atmosphere for learning personal responsibility, self-respect, and respect for others.  The Project shall maintain individual case files and keep statistical information used to document services delivered and evaluate the progress of the program.
Section 1.(b)	The Project shall continue to:
(1)	Identify those juveniles who are alleged to be delinquent or undisciplined or who are at risk of becoming delinquent or undisciplined;
(2)	Evaluate the educational, emotional, and physical needs of the juveniles identified and determine whether the juveniles have problems related to substance abuse, depression, or other emotional conditions;
(3)	Develop a collaborative interagency information network that will speed appropriate law enforcement, juvenile court, and relevant intervention responses for referred youth and their families;
(4)	Develop in-depth and comprehensive assessment plans for the juveniles identified that recommend appropriate treatment, counseling, and disposition of the juveniles; and
(4)	Provide services to juveniles identified and their families through collaboration with public and private resources, including local law enforcement, parents' organizations, the faith community, and county and community programs and organizations that provide substance abuse treatment and child and family counseling.
Section 1.(c)	The Juvenile Assessment Advisory Board established in Section 18.21 of S.L. 1997-443 and amended by Section 16.6 of S.L. 1998-212 shall continue to evaluate the operations of the Project and shall make recommendations regarding the Project to the Office of Juvenile Justice.  The Board shall consist of the 13 members initially appointed pursuant to Section 18.21 of S.L. 1997-443.
The Board shall meet at least quarterly at the call of the chair, and a quorum of the Board shall consist of a majority of its members. The Board of County Commissioners of Cumberland County shall continue to provide necessary clerical and professional assistance to the Board.
The terms of the members shall expire June 30, 2001. 
Section 1.(d)	The Office of Juvenile Justice shall evaluate the Project and report to the Chairs of the Appropriations Subcommittees on Justice and Public Safety of the Senate and House of Representatives and the Fiscal Research Division of the General Assembly by October 1, 2000, on the operations of the Project.  The October 2000 report shall include recommendations on whether the Project should be continued and, if so, the extent to which it should be continued, why it should be continued, and the costs associated with continuing the Project.  If the Office of Juvenile Justice recommends the Project should not be continued, it shall provide the reasons for that recommendation. 
Section 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of Juvenile Justice the sum of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) for the 1999-2000 fiscal year and the sum of three hundred fifty thousand dollars ($350,000) for the 2000-2001 fiscal year to fund the Juvenile Assessment Center Project authorized by this act.
Section 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1999, and expires June 30, 2001.