The proposed bill would update current statutes by expanding the mandatory fingerprinting and criminal history check requirements to include not only employees of the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) 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 new requirements for individuals with supervised direct contact, including visitors, to undergo criminal history checks. Moreover, the bill would tighten the conditions under which individuals with criminal histories can interact 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 and eliminate the notarization requirement for certification forms, thereby enhancing the safety and oversight of interactions between committed youth and adults in ADJC facilities. The language would be clarified to ensure comprehensive definitions related to direct contact, employee status, and supervision, as indicated by ... and ....

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