COMMITTEE OF ORIGIN: Standing Committee on Children and Families
Currently, if a juvenile who is not currently certified as an adult is taken into custody for an offense that would be a felony if committed by an adult, the arresting officer is required to take fingerprints for the central repository. This bill requires the fingerprints to be taken when the offense would a class A or B felony, a felony sexual offense, or two felony offenses committed within 180 days of each other, if committed by an adult. The bill also repeals a provision requiring the fingerprint card to be made in such a way so as to not reveal the juvenile's name to the central repository.
The bill also authorizes a court to order a hearing to determine whether a juvenile should be certified as an adult if a motion is filed by the office of the prosecuting attorney or the office of the Attorney General if the Attorney General is acting as a special prosecuting attorney. Currently, the juvenile officer is permitted to consult with the prosecuting attorney about any offense for which a juvenile could be certified as an adult. This bill requires the juvenile officer to consult with the prosecuting attorney about any such offense, and it allows the prosecuting or circuit attorney to have access to any completed Missouri Juvenile Detention Assessment (JDTA) form that was used in determining detention. Use of the JDTA or any other assessment will be used as a guideline but is not mandatory. The juvenile officer and the court that has jurisdiction over the juvenile must report all adjudication, delinquency, and custody information to the central repository, and all information reported under the provisions of this bill will be available to criminal justice agencies through the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System (MULES) for the administration of justice.
Statutes affected: