Montana Code Annotated
Part 18. Custodial Care
41-5-1803. County responsibility to provide youth detention services

41-5-1803. County responsibility to provide youth detention services. (1) Each county shall provide services for the detention of youth in facilities separate from adult jails. The term "services" includes an educational program for youth in need of that service.
(2) In order to fulfill its responsibility under subsection (1), a county may:
(a) establish, operate, and maintain a holdover, a short-term detention center, or a youth detention facility at county expense;
(b) provide shelter care facilities as authorized in 41-5-1801;
(c) contract with another county for the use of an available shelter care facility, holdover, short-term detention center, or youth detention facility;
(d) establish and operate a network of holdovers in cooperation with other counties;
(e) establish a regional detention facility;
(f) enter into an agreement with a private party under which the private party will own, operate, or lease a shelter care facility or youth detention facility for use by the county. The agreement may be made in substantially the same manner as provided for in 7-32-2232 and 7-32-2233.
(g) contract with another state, political subdivision of another state, or an Indian tribe for use of a secure detention facility. Secure detention facilities contracted with for the purposes of this subsection (2)(g) must be licensed or certified by a state or federal agency with applicable licensing or certifying authority, or the contracting county shall determine that the out-of-state or tribal detention facility substantially complies with the licensing requirements contained in rules adopted by the department.
(3) Each county or regional detention facility must be licensed by the department in accordance with rules adopted under 41-5-1802.
(4) A county youth detention facility or a regional detention facility may contract with a school district for the provision of an educational program at the facility. The school district may use the facility as an alternative education site for the district. A contract authorized under this subsection must be made pursuant to the Interlocal Cooperation Act, Title 7, chapter 11, part 1, and must specify:
(a) that the school district is responsible for providing for the education of students enrolled in the school district;
(b) that the youth detention facility is responsible for providing for the education of youth held in lawful custody in the facility;
(c) the educational program and personnel necessary to provide instruction at the facility. The district and the detention facility shall follow the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 1400, et seq., in making educational placement decisions for youth with disabilities.
(d) the amount of funding to be contributed by the facility and the school district toward payment of the cost of establishing, operating, and maintaining the educational program.
History: En. Sec. 2, Ch. 799, L. 1991; Sec. 41-5-810, MCA 1995; redes. 41-5-1803 by Sec. 47, Ch. 286, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 532, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 536, L. 1999.