The Florida Senate

985.441  Commitment.--

(1)  The court that has jurisdiction of an adjudicated delinquent child may, by an order stating the facts upon which a determination of a sanction and rehabilitative program was made at the disposition hearing:

(a)  Commit the child to a licensed child-caring agency willing to receive the child; however, the court may not commit the child to a jail or to a facility used primarily as a detention center or facility or shelter.

(b)  Commit the child to the department at a restrictiveness level defined in s. 985.03 Such commitment must be for the purpose of exercising active control over the child, including, but not limited to, custody, care, training, urine monitoring, and treatment of the child and release of the child from residential commitment into the community in a postcommitment nonresidential conditional release program. If the child is not successful in the conditional release program, the department may use the transfer procedure under subsection (3).

(c)  Commit the child to the department for placement in a program or facility for serious or habitual juvenile offenders in accordance with s. 985.47

1.  Following a delinquency adjudicatory hearing under s. 985.35 and a delinquency disposition hearing under s. 985.433 that results in a commitment determination, the court shall, on its own or upon request by the state or the department, determine whether the protection of the public requires that the child be placed in a program for serious or habitual juvenile offenders and whether the particular needs of the child would be best served by a program for serious or habitual juvenile offenders as provided in s. 985.47 The determination shall be made under ss. 985.47(1) and 985.433(7).

2.  Any commitment of a child to a program or facility for serious or habitual juvenile offenders must be for an indeterminate period of time, but the time may not exceed the maximum term of imprisonment that an adult may serve for the same offense.

(d)  Commit the child to the department for placement in a program or facility for juvenile sexual offenders in accordance with s. 985.48, subject to specific appropriation for such a program or facility.

1.  The child may only be committed for such placement pursuant to determination that the child is a juvenile sexual offender under the criteria specified in s. 985.475

2.  Any commitment of a juvenile sexual offender to a program or facility for juvenile sexual offenders must be for an indeterminate period of time, but the time may not exceed the maximum term of imprisonment that an adult may serve for the same offense.

(2)  The nonconsent of the child to commitment or treatment in a substance abuse treatment program in no way precludes the court from ordering such commitment or treatment.

(3)  The department may transfer a child, when necessary to appropriately administer the child's commitment, from one facility or program to another facility or program operated, contracted, subcontracted, or designated by the department, including a postcommitment nonresidential conditional release program. The department shall notify the court that committed the child to the department and any attorney of record for the child, in writing, of its intent to transfer the child from a commitment facility or program to another facility or program of a higher or lower restrictiveness level. The court that committed the child may agree to the transfer or may set a hearing to review the transfer. If the court does not respond within 10 days after receipt of the notice, the transfer of the child shall be deemed granted.

History.--s. 49, ch. 2006-120.