SB 24-006

Senate Bill 24-006, which has been signed into law and is now effective, aims to help juveniles with intellectual disabilities or mental health issues by offering them pretrial diversion programs instead of formal court proceedings. This means that if a juvenile shows signs of needing support due to behavioral health issues or developmental disabilities, they can be directed towards appropriate services like therapy or counseling rather than facing legal consequences. The bill also allows adults who are found incompetent to stand trial to enter into similar diversion agreements with the approval of both the district attorney and the court, provided they have the ability to participate in these programs. This new law is intended to provide more support for individuals struggling with mental health or developmental challenges rather than punishing them through the traditional justice system.

Official Summary

The act requires a district attorney's office, or the office's designee, to consider the use of a juvenile diversion program (program) to prevent a juvenile who demonstrates behaviors or symptoms consistent with an intellectual and developmental disability, a mental or behavioral health issue, or a lack of mental capacity from further involvement in formal delinquency proceedings. Current law allows programs to use the results of an approved and validated assessment tool to identify the appropriate diversion services a juvenile may need and the professionals who may provide the services. The act adds behavioral health services and services for juveniles with developmental disabilities to the types of services a juvenile may need and adds behavioral health treatment providers and providers who offer services to juveniles with developmental disabilities to the list of professionals who may provide the appropriate diversion services. If an adult defendant's competency is raised or a defendant is found incompetent to proceed, the act allows the defendant to enter into a diversion agreement with the consent of the district attorney and the court if the court finds that the defendant has the ability to participate and is advised of the potential consequences of failure to comply. The defendant's entrance into the diversion agreement does not waive the issue of competency to stand trial if there is a violation of the diversion agreement and proceedings on the charges resume. The diversion agreement alone is not evidence of competency. APPROVED by Governor March 22, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 22, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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