California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 1720

CA Welf & Inst Code § 1720 (2017)  

(a) The case of each ward shall be reviewed by the Board of Juvenile Hearings within 45 days of arrival at the department, and at other times as is necessary to meet the powers or duties of the board.

(b) The Board of Juvenile Hearings shall periodically review the case of each ward. These reviews shall be made as frequently as the Board of Juvenile Hearings considers desirable and shall be made with respect to each ward at intervals not exceeding one year.

(c) The ward shall be entitled to notice if his or her annual review is delayed beyond one year after the previous annual review hearing. The ward shall be informed of the reason for the delay and of the date the review hearing is to be held.

(d) Failure of the board to review the case of a ward within 15 months of a previous review shall not of itself entitle the ward to discharge from the control of the division but shall entitle him or her to petition the superior court of the county from which he or she was committed for an order of discharge, and the court shall discharge him or her unless the court is satisfied as to the need for further control.

(e) Reviews conducted by the board pursuant to this section shall be written and shall include, but not be limited to, the following: verification of the treatment or program goals and orders for the ward to ensure the ward is receiving treatment and programming that is narrowly tailored to address the correctional treatment needs of the ward and is being provided in a timely manner that is designed to meet the discharge consideration date set for the ward; an assessment of the ward’s adjustment and responsiveness to treatment, programming, and custody; a review of the ward’s disciplinary history and response to disciplinary sanctions; and a review of any additional information relevant to the ward’s progress.

(f) The division shall provide copies of the reviews prepared pursuant to this section to the court and the probation department of the committing county.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 33, Sec. 43. (SB 843) Effective June 27, 2016.)

Last modified: October 25, 2018