CT SB00392

Raises the age threshold for full parental presence protections during police questioning from sixteen to eighteen years old, making statements by children under eighteen inadmissible unless made in the presence of a parent or guardian who has been advised of the child's rights.

Requires police and Juvenile Court officials to make reasonable efforts to contact a parent or guardian of children sixteen or seventeen years old and to advise them of rights including counsel, refusal to speak, and consequences of statements.

For children sixteen or seventeen years old (except those in transferred cases from criminal dockets), makes admissibility of statements dependent on a "totality of the circumstances" test considering the child's age, intelligence, capacity to understand rights, opportunity to speak with a parent or guardian, and surrounding circumstances.

Exempts statements made by children sixteen or seventeen in connection with cases transferred from youthful offender, regular criminal, or motor vehicle dockets from the parental contact and consent requirements.

Extends comparable protections to statements made by parents or guardians in child neglect, abuse, or endangerment proceedings, effective October 1, 2022.