1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to government data practices; juvenile court 
  1.3             records; allowing victims to attend related 
  1.4             delinquency proceedings; authorizing access to certain 
  1.5             juvenile records; providing for the state court 
  1.6             administrator to prepare annual reports of delinquency 
  1.7             dispositions; amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, 
  1.8             section 260.155, subdivision 1; Minnesota Statutes 
  1.9             1997 Supplement, section 260.161, subdivision 2; 
  1.10            proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.11            chapter 260. 
  1.12  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.13     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 260.155, 
  1.14  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.15     Subdivision 1.  [GENERAL.] (a) Except for hearings arising 
  1.16  under section 260.261, hearings on any matter shall be without a 
  1.17  jury and may be conducted in an informal manner, except that a 
  1.18  child who is prosecuted as an extended jurisdiction juvenile has 
  1.19  the right to a jury trial on the issue of guilt.  The rules of 
  1.20  evidence promulgated pursuant to section 480.0591 and the law of 
  1.21  evidence shall apply in adjudicatory proceedings involving a 
  1.22  child alleged to be delinquent, an extended jurisdiction 
  1.23  juvenile, or a juvenile petty offender, and hearings conducted 
  1.24  pursuant to section 260.125 except to the extent that the rules 
  1.25  themselves provide that they do not apply.  In all adjudicatory 
  1.26  proceedings involving a child alleged to be in need of 
  1.27  protection or services, the court shall admit only evidence that 
  1.28  would be admissible in a civil trial.  To be proved at trial, 
  2.1   allegations of a petition alleging a child to be in need of 
  2.2   protection or services must be proved by clear and convincing 
  2.3   evidence. 
  2.4      (b) Except for proceedings involving a child alleged to be 
  2.5   in need of protection or services and petitions for the 
  2.6   termination of parental rights, hearings may be continued or 
  2.7   adjourned from time to time.  In proceedings involving a child 
  2.8   alleged to be in need of protection or services and petitions 
  2.9   for the termination of parental rights, hearings may not be 
  2.10  continued or adjourned for more than one week unless the court 
  2.11  makes specific findings that the continuance or adjournment is 
  2.12  in the best interests of the child.  If a hearing is held on a 
  2.13  petition involving physical or sexual abuse of a child who is 
  2.14  alleged to be in need of protection or services or neglected and 
  2.15  in foster care, the court shall file the decision with the court 
  2.16  administrator as soon as possible but no later than 15 days 
  2.17  after the matter is submitted to the court.  When a continuance 
  2.18  or adjournment is ordered in any proceeding, the court may make 
  2.19  any interim orders as it deems in the best interests of the 
  2.20  minor in accordance with the provisions of sections 260.011 to 
  2.21  260.301. 
  2.22     (c) Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, the 
  2.23  court shall exclude the general public from hearings under this 
  2.24  chapter and shall admit only those persons who, in the 
  2.25  discretion of the court, have a direct interest in the case or 
  2.26  in the work of the court.  The court shall permit the victim of 
  2.27  a child's delinquent act to attend any related delinquency 
  2.28  proceeding, except that the court may exclude the victim: 
  2.29     (1) as a witness under rule 26.03, subdivision 7, of the 
  2.30  Rules of Criminal Procedure; and 
  2.31     (2) from portions of a certification hearing to discuss 
  2.32  psychological material or other evidence that would not be 
  2.33  accessible to the public. 
  2.34  The court shall open the hearings to the public in delinquency 
  2.35  or extended jurisdiction juvenile proceedings where the child is 
  2.36  alleged to have committed an offense or has been proven to have 
  3.1   committed an offense that would be a felony if committed by an 
  3.2   adult and the child was at least 16 years of age at the time of 
  3.3   the offense, except that the court may exclude the public from 
  3.4   portions of a certification hearing to discuss psychological 
  3.5   material or other evidence that would not be accessible to the 
  3.6   public in an adult proceeding. 
  3.7      (d) In all delinquency cases a person named in the charging 
  3.8   clause of the petition as a person directly damaged in person or 
  3.9   property shall be entitled, upon request, to be notified by the 
  3.10  court administrator in writing, at the named person's last known 
  3.11  address, of (1) the date of the certification or adjudicatory 
  3.12  hearings, and (2) the disposition of the case. 
  3.13     (e) Adoption hearings shall be conducted in accordance with 
  3.14  the provisions of laws relating to adoptions. 
  3.15     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1997 Supplement, section 
  3.16  260.161, subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  3.17     Subd. 2.  [PUBLIC INSPECTION OF RECORDS.] (a) Except as 
  3.18  otherwise provided in this section, and except for legal records 
  3.19  arising from proceedings or portions of proceedings that are 
  3.20  public under section 260.155, subdivision 1, none of the records 
  3.21  of the juvenile court and none of the records relating to an 
  3.22  appeal from a nonpublic juvenile court proceeding, except the 
  3.23  written appellate opinion, shall be open to public inspection or 
  3.24  their contents disclosed except ~~(a)~~:  
  3.25     (1) by order of a court~~, (b)~~; or 
  3.26     (2) as required by sections 245A.04, 611A.03, 611A.04, 
  3.27  611A.06, and 629.73~~, or (c)  the name of a juvenile who is the~~ 
  3.28  ~~subject of a delinquency petition shall be released to~~. 
  3.29     (b) The victim of ~~the~~ any alleged delinquent act may, upon 
  3.30  the victim's request~~; unless it reasonably appears that the~~ 
  3.31  ~~request is prompted by a desire on the part of the requester to~~ 
  3.32  ~~engage in unlawful activities.~~, obtain the following 
  3.33  information, unless it reasonably appears that the request is 
  3.34  prompted by a desire on the part of the requester to engage in 
  3.35  unlawful activities: 
  3.36     (1) the name and age of the juvenile; 
  4.1      (2) the act for which the juvenile was petitioned and date 
  4.2   of the offense; and 
  4.3      (3) the disposition, including but not limited to, 
  4.4   dismissal of the petition, diversion, probation and conditions 
  4.5   of probation, detention, fines, or restitution.  
  4.6      (c) The records of juvenile probation officers and county 
  4.7   home schools are records of the court for the purposes of this 
  4.8   subdivision.  Court services data relating to delinquent acts 
  4.9   that are contained in records of the juvenile court may be 
  4.10  released as allowed under section 13.84, subdivision 5a.  This 
  4.11  subdivision applies to all proceedings under this chapter, 
  4.12  including appeals from orders of the juvenile court, except that 
  4.13  this subdivision does not apply to proceedings under section 
  4.14  260.255, 260.261, or 260.315 when the proceeding involves an 
  4.15  adult defendant.  The court shall maintain the confidentiality 
  4.16  of adoption files and records in accordance with the provisions 
  4.17  of laws relating to adoptions.  In juvenile court proceedings 
  4.18  any report or social history furnished to the court shall be 
  4.19  open to inspection by the attorneys of record and the guardian 
  4.20  ad litem a reasonable time before it is used in connection with 
  4.21  any proceeding before the court. 
  4.22     (d) When a judge of a juvenile court, or duly authorized 
  4.23  agent of the court, determines under a proceeding under this 
  4.24  chapter that a child has violated a state or local law, 
  4.25  ordinance, or regulation pertaining to the operation of a motor 
  4.26  vehicle on streets and highways, except parking violations, the 
  4.27  judge or agent shall immediately report the violation to the 
  4.28  commissioner of public safety.  The report must be made on a 
  4.29  form provided by the department of public safety and must 
  4.30  contain the information required under section 169.95. 
  4.31     (e) A county attorney may give a law enforcement agency 
  4.32  that referred a delinquency matter to the county attorney a 
  4.33  summary of the results of that referral, including the details 
  4.34  of any juvenile court disposition. 
  4.35     Sec. 3.  [260.162] [REPORT ON JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 
  4.36  PETITIONS.] 
  5.1      The state court administrator shall annually prepare and 
  5.2   present to the chairs of the house judiciary committee and the 
  5.3   senate crime prevention committee aggregate data by judicial 
  5.4   district on juvenile delinquency petitions.  The report must 
  5.5   include, but need not be limited to, information on the act for 
  5.6   which a delinquency petition is filed, the age of the juvenile, 
  5.7   the county where the petition was filed, the outcome of the 
  5.8   petition, such as dismissal, continuance for dismissal, 
  5.9   continuance without adjudication, and the disposition of the 
  5.10  petition such as diversion, detention, probation, restitution, 
  5.11  or fine. 
  5.12     The report shall be prepared on a calendar-year basis and 
  5.13  shall be submitted on or before July 1 of each year. 
  5.14     Sec. 4.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  5.15     Sections 1 and 2 are effective August 1, 1998, and apply to 
  5.16  acts committed on or after that date.