Indiana Code
Chapter 36. Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana
2-5-36-9.3. Statewide Juvenile Justice Oversight Body

Sec. 9.3. (a) In addition to the duties prescribed to the commission under section 9 of this chapter, the commission shall form and establish a statewide juvenile justice oversight body that will oversee implementation of the assigned duties described in this section.
(b) Not later than July 1, 2023, the statewide juvenile justice oversight body shall develop a plan to collect and report statewide juvenile justice data. The plan shall be submitted to the commission and the legislative council in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6. The plan shall include the following:
(1) Provide goals for the collection of juvenile justice data.
(2) Create shared definitions concerning juvenile justice data.
(3) Set standard protocols and procedures for data collection and quality assurance, including a plan to track data across the juvenile justice continuum.
(4) Establish a minimum set of performance and data measures that counties shall collect and report annually, including equity measures.
(5) Establish how data should be reported and to whom.
(6) Establish a research agenda to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
(7) Determine the costs of collecting and reporting data described in this subsection.
(c) Not later than July 1, 2023, the statewide juvenile justice oversight body shall do the following:
(1) Review and establish statewide procedures, policies, and an implementation plan related to the use of:
(A) a validated risk screening tool to inform statewide diversion decisions;
(B) a validated risk and needs assessment tool to inform statewide dispositional decisions, especially the use of out-of-home placement; and
(C) a detention tool to inform the initial and ongoing use of secure detention, while considering factors related to public safety and failure to appear for court.
(2) Develop criteria for the use of diagnostic assessments as described in IC 31-37-19-11.7.
(3) Develop a statewide plan to address the provision of broader behavioral health services to a child in the juvenile justice system.
(4) Develop policies, protocols, and a statewide implementation plan to guide the provision of transitional services for a child who is the ward of the department of correction as described in IC 31-37-19-11.5.
(5) Establish policies and protocols for research based pretrial diversion and informal adjustment programs and practices.
(6) Any other activities as identified by the oversight body.
(d) Not later than January 1, 2023, the statewide juvenile justice oversight body shall develop and submit a plan for grant programs described in IC 31-40-5 to the commission and the legislative council in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6. The oversight body shall determine:
(1) the amount of money dedicated to each grant;
(2) the funding formula, accounting for the needs of both more rural and more populated communities;
(3) the required set of performance measures that counties receiving the grants must collect and report; and
(4) the process to streamline and manage the entire grant life cycle for all programs described in IC 31-40-5.
The planning process shall define the parameters of using the funds, with allowance for a proportion of the funding to be used for staffing, training, and administrative expenses to support the needs of rural communities with limited service capacity.
As added by P.L.101-2022, SEC.2.