The proposed bill would update current statutes by expanding the mandatory fingerprinting and criminal history check requirements to include not only Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) employees and certain contract service providers, as specified in ..., but also volunteers, visitors, and all employees of licensees or service contract providers who have unsupervised direct contact with committed youth. The timeframe for submitting fingerprints would be changed from 7 days to 10 days prior to any unsupervised contact. Additionally, the bill would introduce a requirement for individuals with supervised direct contact to undergo a criminal history records check, with access to secure care facilities contingent upon the results of this check. Moreover, the bill would tighten the conditions for individuals with criminal histories to have contact with committed youth by mandating immediate contract termination for noncompliance with fingerprinting requirements and restricting rehabilitated individuals to supervised contact only. It would also broaden the criteria for disqualifying criminal offenses, remove the notarization requirement for certification forms, and clarify the definitions of "supervised" and "unsupervised" contact. The bill would further stipulate that the department must notify the Department of Public Safety if credible evidence of misconduct is found, thereby enhancing the safety and oversight of interactions between committed youth and adults in ADJC facilities.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 41-2814
House Engrossed Version: 41-2814
Chaptered Version: 41-2814