CA AB1709

Requires youth 16 years of age or older charged with offenses that could count as future felony convictions under California's Three Strikes law to be entitled to a jury trial in juvenile court.

Jury trials in juvenile court shall proceed according to the same rules and procedures as jury trials in criminal court under Penal Code Chapters 7, 8, and Title 7.

The right to a jury trial does not delay the requirement that detained minors receive adjudication on the petition to declare them a ward of the court within 15 days of filing.

Limits temporary commitment to diagnostic and treatment centers for minors who have been adjudicated as wards of the court specifically for violating criminal law, excluding those adjudicated for habitual disobedience or truancy without criminal charges.

Amends Sections 701, 702, and 704 of the Welfare and Institutions Code to allow either a court or jury to make findings and determinations regarding minors described in Section 602.