NCJ Number
77474
Date Published
1977
Length
55 pages
Annotation
North Carolina minimum standards for juvenile detention facilities are presented, along with supporting statutes.
Abstract
North Carolina's G.S. 153A-221 provides that the Secretary of Human Resources develop and publish minimum standards for the operation of the local confinement facilities and that these standards shall be developed with a view toward providing secure custody for juveniles, protecting their health and welfare, and providing for their humane treatment. Instruction was given to develop new standards applicable to county and regional detention homes which would implement the recommendations of the 1973 Report of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Youth Development. This report recommended that juvenile detention facilities be used primarily for secure custody of a juvenile whose hostile behavior threatens the community and that diagnostic evaluation be available when possible on both an inpatient and an outpatient basis. The standards deal with concepts of detention, including definition of detention, use of detention, and objectives of detention care; standards for physical facilities, including design development and approval, design intent, construction materials, and structural arrangement and accommodations; and standards for personnel, including staff requirements, job descriptions, training and staff development of detention personnel, applicants for detention personnel with court records, staff-child ratio, and continuous supervision of children. Admissions standards include admission control and procedures. Standards for daily programs and services include personal hygiene, food services, sleep, medical care, discipline, isolation, corporal punishment, runaways, accidents and injuries, visitation and correspondence, housekeeping chores, education, library facilities, arts and crafts, recreation, counseling services, religious counseling, clinical evaluations, and records and reports. A compendium of appropriate statutes is presented for reference purposes and to identify the breadth and scope of State responsibility in the preparation and administration of minimum standards for juvenile detention. Appended are samples for a death report, personal data card, monthly reports, and other suggested forms.