Juveniles: contemptuous habitual truants.

Existing law authorizes a court to punish for acts of contempt, including authorizing a court to direct the incarceration of a defendant until he or she complies with the court's order. Existing law prohibits a court from imprisoning or otherwise taking into custody the victim of a sexual assault or domestic violence crime for contempt of court if the contempt consists of refusing to testify about the sexual assault or domestic violence crime. This bill would additionally prohibit a court from imprisoning, holding in physical confinement, as defined, or otherwise taking into custody persistently or habitually truant minors for contempt of court if the contempt consists of the minor's failure to comply with a court order to attend school. The bill would authorize a court, if those minors are found to be in contempt of court for that reason, to issue any other lawful order, as necessary, to secure the minor's attendance at school. Existing law subjects a person who is under 18 years of age who engages in certain noncriminal behavior, including, among other things, persistent or habitual truancy or failure to obey the reasonable and proper orders or directions of school authorities to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which may adjudge the minor to be a ward of the court. Existing law prohibits a minor from being detained in a secure facility, as defined, if he or she is taken into custody solely upon the ground that he or she is a person described above or adjudged a ward of the juvenile court solely upon that ground, except as provided. This bill would prohibit a minor from being detained in a secure facility, as defined, solely upon the ground that he or she is in willful disobedience or interference with any lawful order of the juvenile court, if the basis of the order of contempt is persistent or habitual truancy, and would authorize a court to issue any other lawful order, as necessary, to secure the minor's school attendance. The bill would make a related declaration of legislative intent.