House Bill 1481 Summary

• Establishes the Mississippi Juvenile Detention Facilities Licensing Act, requiring all juvenile detention facilities to obtain a license from the Juvenile Facilities Monitoring Unit by October 1, 2017, with licensing standards based on the 2014 Juvenile Detention and Alternatives Taskforce report.

• Mandates the licensing agency conduct inspections at least twice annually, perform criminal background and child abuse registry checks on all facility staff and administrators, and establish grounds for denying, suspending, revising, or revoking licenses for violations, fraud, or threats to child safety.

• Requires the Mississippi Department of Education to promulgate rules governing education in juvenile detention facilities and conduct annual inspections to determine facility compliance with education provisions.

• Prohibits any statements, admissions, or confessions obtained from youth during screening or assessment from being admitted as evidence in delinquency or criminal proceedings regarding whether the child committed a delinquent act.

• Requires juvenile detention facilities to provide language and sign language interpretation services to youth 24 hours a day, adopt policies for these services, and post notices advertising their availability within detention centers.