(1) The committee has the following duties:
(I) Adopt a validated risk and needs assessment tool or tools to be used statewide thatuses an accepted standard of assessment. The committee shall determine if one tool must be used by the entire juvenile justice system or if the judicial department or division of youth services may use different validated tools. The tool or tools must be used to assist:
Juvenile courts in determining the actions to take for each juvenile subject to thejurisdiction of the juvenile court;
The division of youth services in development of case and reentry plans and thedetermination of supervision levels for juveniles committed to the department of human services; and
Juvenile probation departments in the development of case plans and the determination of supervision levels for juveniles placed on probation.
(II) In adopting the validated risk and needs assessment tool or tools pursuant to subsection (1)(a)(I) of this section, the committee shall consult with expert organizations, consult with the delivery of child welfare services task force created in section 26-5-105.8, and review research and best practices from other jurisdictions and may consider a validated tool or tools already being used in the state. On or before January 1, 2021, the committee shall:
Select a validated risk and needs assessment tool or tools; except that the committeeshall select the tool or tools by September 1, 2019.
Determine the population of juveniles for which the validated risk and needs assessment must be conducted prior to disposition, while in the custody of the division of youth services, or under juvenile probation supervision;
Determine the time frame prior to disposition and at regular intervals thereafter thatthe validated risk and needs assessment must be conducted to determine risk levels and to identify intervention needs and who is responsible for conducting the assessment;
Establish policies for how the results of the validated risk and needs assessments arecompiled and how the results are shared and with which parties they are shared;
Establish policies for the utilization of the validated risk and needs assessment tool,including policies to objectively guide supervision levels and the length of time on supervision, develop individualized conditions of juvenile probation, and develop case plans for each juvenile committed to the department of human services or placed on juvenile probation;
Develop a plan to conduct a validation study of the validated risk and needs assessment tool or tools on the juveniles who are administered each tool;
Develop a plan to collect and report data annually on the results of the validated riskand needs assessments; and
Calculate the fiscal cost of collecting and reporting the data required by subsection(1)(a)(II)(G) of this section and report the cost to the office of state planning and budgeting.
Select a validated mental health screening tool or tools that use an accepted standardof practice to be used to inform the appropriate actions to take for each juvenile prior to disposition. The tool or tools may be a validated tool or tools already being used in the state.
Select a validated risk screening tool to be used statewide to inform district attorneydecisions on a juvenile's eligibility for diversion. The validated risk screening tool must be implemented pursuant to section 19-2-303.
By July 1, 2020, select a qualified vendor or national provider of risk assessmenttechnical assistance to assist the department of human services, juvenile probation, and the juvenile court with the adoption and implementation of the validated risk and needs assessment tool or tools and validated mental health screening tool or tools and assist juvenile diversion programs and district attorney's offices with the adoption and implementation of a validated risk screening tool. The assistance must include an implementation plan, employee training, policy development, and the establishment of quality assurance and data collection protocols.
In collaboration with the delivery of child welfare services task force created in section 26-5-105.8, identify shared outcome measures that all service providers receiving state funds and serving juveniles placed on probation and parole must track and report. The committee shall also:
Develop a plan for how the department of human services and the judicial departmentshall collect this data as part of the contracting requirements;
Establish policies for evaluating the effectiveness of service providers, including time frames and who is responsible for conducting the evaluations; and
Develop a plan for the department of human services and the judicial department toreport on the outcome measures. The report or reports must be made available annually to the governor, the chief justice of the Colorado supreme court, and the judiciary committees of the senate and the house of representatives, the health and human services committee of the senate, and the public health care and human services committee of the house of representatives, or any successor committees. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), the requirement to submit the report or reports to the committees continues indefinitely.
Identify shared outcome measures for diversion, juvenile probation, and the divisionof youth services, including a common definition of recidivism.
(2) The committee shall recommend changes to statutes, appropriations, rules, or standards that need to be made prior to fully implementing the committee's recommendations. Submitting reports pursuant to this section is contingent upon the receipt of reasonable and necessary additional appropriations requested by the committee in order to fulfill reporting requirements outlined in the committee's plans.
Source: L. 2019: Entire part added, (SB 19-108), ch. 294, p. 2692, § 1, effective July 1.