Juveniles: room confinement.

Existing law places restrictions on the use of room confinement of minors or wards who are confined in a juvenile facility, as specified, and requires the placement of a minor or ward in room confinement to be conducted in accordance with specified guidelines. Existing law excludes from the definition of room confinement the confinement of a minor or ward in a single-person room or cell for brief periods of locked room confinement necessary for required institutional operations. This bill would limit that exclusion to periods of confinement no longer than 2 hours. The bill would also require minors and wards who are confined to be provided reasonable access to toilets at all hours. By increasing the duties of local entities in connection with local juvenile facilities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.