43-408 Office of Juvenile Services; committing court; determination of placement and treatment services; review status; when.
43-408. Office of Juvenile Services; committing court; determination of placement and treatment services; review status; when.(1) Whenever any juvenile is committed under any provision of law to the Office of Juvenile Services, to any facility operated by the Office of Juvenile Services, or to the custody of the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Services, a superintendent of a facility, or an administrator of a program, the juvenile is deemed committed to the Office of Juvenile Services. Juveniles committed to the Office of Juvenile Services shall also be considered committed to the care and custody of the Department of Health and Human Services for the purpose of obtaining health care and treatment services.(2) The committing court shall order the initial level of treatment for a juvenile committed to the Office of Juvenile Services. Prior to determining the initial level of treatment for a juvenile, the court may solicit a recommendation regarding the initial level of treatment from the Office of Juvenile Services. Under this section, the committing court shall not order a specific placement for a juvenile. The court shall continue to maintain jurisdiction over any juvenile committed to the Office of Juvenile Services until such time that the juvenile is discharged from the Office of Juvenile Services. The court shall conduct review hearings every six months, or at the request of the juvenile, for any juvenile committed to the Office of Juvenile Services who is placed outside his or her home, except for a juvenile residing at a youth rehabilitation and treatment center. The court shall determine whether an out-of-home placement made by the Office of Juvenile Services is in the best interests of the juvenile, with due consideration being given by the court to public safety. If the court determines that the out-of-home placement is not in the best interests of the juvenile, the court may order other treatment services for the juvenile.(3) After the initial level of treatment is ordered by the committing court, the Office of Juvenile Services shall provide treatment services which conform to the court's level of treatment determination. Within thirty days after making an actual placement, the Office of Juvenile Services shall provide the committing court with written notification of where the juvenile has been placed. At least once every six months thereafter, until the juvenile is discharged from the care and custody of the Office of Juvenile Services, the office shall provide the committing court with written notification of the juvenile's actual placement and the level of treatment that the juvenile is receiving.(4) For transfer hearings, the burden of proof to justify the transfer is on the Office of Juvenile Services, the standard of proof is clear and convincing evidence, and the strict rules of evidence do not apply. Transfers of juveniles from one place of treatment to another are subject to section 43-251.01 and to the following:(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b) of this subsection, if the Office of Juvenile Services proposes to transfer the juvenile from a less restrictive to a more restrictive place of treatment, a plan outlining the proposed change and the reasons for the proposed change shall be presented to the court which committed the juvenile. Such change shall occur only after a hearing and a finding by the committing court that the change is in the best interests of the juvenile, with due consideration being given by the court to public safety. At the hearing, the juvenile has the right to be represented by counsel;(b) The Office of Juvenile Services may make an immediate temporary change without prior approval by the committing court only if the juvenile is in a harmful or dangerous situation, is suffering a medical emergency, is exhibiting behavior which warrants temporary removal, or has been placed in a non-state-owned facility and such facility has requested that the juvenile be removed. Approval of the committing court shall be sought within fifteen days of making an immediate temporary change, at which time a hearing shall occur before the court. The court shall determine whether it is in the best interests of the juvenile to remain in the new place of treatment, with due consideration being given by the court to public safety. At the hearing, the juvenile has the right to be represented by counsel; and(c) If the proposed change seeks to transfer the juvenile from a more restrictive to a less restrictive place of treatment or to transfer the juvenile from the juvenile's current place of treatment to another which has the same level of restriction as the current place of treatment, the Office of Juvenile Services shall notify the juvenile, the juvenile's parents, custodian, or legal guardian, the committing court, the county attorney, the counsel for the juvenile, and the guardian ad litem of the proposed change. The juvenile has fifteen days after the date of the notice to request an administrative hearing with the Office of Juvenile Services, at which time the Office of Juvenile Services shall determine whether it is in the best interests of the juvenile for the proposed change to occur, with due consideration being given by the office to public safety. The juvenile may be represented by counsel at the juvenile's own expense. If the juvenile is aggrieved by the administrative decision of the Office of Juvenile Services, the juvenile may appeal that decision to the committing court within fifteen days after the Office of Juvenile Services' decision. At the hearing before the committing court, the juvenile has the right to be represented by counsel.(5) If a juvenile is placed in detention after the initial level of treatment is determined by the committing court, the committing court shall hold a hearing every fourteen days to review the status of the juvenile. Placement of a juvenile in detention shall not be considered as a treatment service.(6) The committing court's review of a change of place of treatment pursuant to this section does not apply to parole revocation hearings. SourceLaws 1996, LB 1044, § 962; R.S.Supp.,1996, § 83-925.12; Laws 1998, LB 1073, § 40; Laws 2001, LB 598, § 1; Laws 2006, LB 1113, § 40. AnnotationsGiving effect to the language of this section, while the Office of Juvenile Services may make an initial determination with regard to the advisability of the discharge of a juvenile committed to that office, the committing court, as a result of its statutorily imposed continuing jurisdiction, must approve the discharge of the juvenile. In re Interest of Tamantha S., 267 Neb. 78, 672 N.W.2d 24 (2003).