Texas Statutes
Chapter 51 - General Provisions
Section 51.12. Place and Conditions of Detention

Sec. 51.12. PLACE AND CONDITIONS OF DETENTION. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (h), a child may be detained only in a:
(1) juvenile processing office in compliance with Section 52.025;
(2) place of nonsecure custody in compliance with Article 45.058, Code of Criminal Procedure;
(3) certified juvenile detention facility that complies with the requirements of Subsection (f);
(4) secure detention facility as provided by Subsection (j);
(5) county jail or other facility as provided by Subsection (l); or
(6) nonsecure correctional facility as provided by Subsection (j-1).
(b) The proper authorities in each county shall provide a suitable place of detention for children who are parties to proceedings under this title, but the juvenile board shall control the conditions and terms of detention and detention supervision and shall permit visitation with the child at all reasonable times.
(b-1) A pre-adjudication secure detention facility may be operated only by:
(1) a governmental unit in this state as defined by Section 101.001, Civil Practice and Remedies Code; or
(2) a private entity under a contract with a governmental unit in this state.
(c) In each county, each judge of the juvenile court and a majority of the members of the juvenile board shall personally inspect all public or private juvenile pre-adjudication secure detention facilities that are located in the county at least annually and shall certify in writing to the authorities responsible for operating and giving financial support to the facilities and to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department that the facilities are suitable or unsuitable for the detention of children. In determining whether a facility is suitable or unsuitable for the detention of children, the juvenile court judges and juvenile board members shall consider:
(1) current monitoring and inspection reports and any noncompliance citation reports issued by the department, including the report provided under Subsection (c-1), and the status of any required corrective actions;
(2) current governmental inspector certification regarding the facility's compliance with local fire codes;
(3) current building inspector certification regarding the facility's compliance with local building codes;
(4) for the 12-month period preceding the inspection, the total number of allegations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation reported by the facility and a summary of the findings of any investigations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation conducted by the facility, a local law enforcement agency, and the department;
(5) the availability of health and mental health services provided to facility residents;
(6) the availability of educational services provided to facility residents; and
(7) the overall physical appearance of the facility, including the facility's security, maintenance, cleanliness, and environment.
(c-1) The Texas Juvenile Justice Department shall annually inspect each public or private juvenile pre-adjudication secure detention facility. The department shall provide a report to each juvenile court judge presiding in the same county as an inspected facility indicating whether the facility is suitable or unsuitable for the detention of children in accordance with:
(1) the requirements of Subsections (a), (f), and (g); and
(2) minimum professional standards for the detention of children in pre-adjudication secure confinement promulgated by the department or, at the election of the juvenile board of the county in which the facility is located, the current standards promulgated by the American Correctional Association.
(d) Except as provided by Subsections (j) and (l), a child may not be placed in a facility that has not been certified under Subsection (c) as suitable for the detention of children and registered under Subsection (i). Except as provided by Subsections (j) and (l), a child detained in a facility that has not been certified under Subsection (c) as suitable for the detention of children or that has not been registered under Subsection (i) shall be entitled to immediate release from custody in that facility.
(e) If there is no certified place of detention in the county in which the petition is filed, the designated place of detention may be in another county.
(f) A child detained in a building that contains a jail, lockup, or other place of secure confinement, including an alcohol or other drug treatment facility, shall be separated by sight and sound from adults detained in the same building. Children and adults are separated by sight and sound only if they are unable to see each other and conversation between them is not possible. The separation must extend to all areas of the facility, including sally ports and passageways, and those areas used for admission, counseling, sleeping, toileting, showering, dining, recreational, educational, or vocational activities, and health care. The separation may be accomplished through architectural design. A person who has been transferred for prosecution in criminal court under Section 54.02 and is under 17 years of age is considered a child for the purposes of this subsection.
(g) Except for a child detained in a juvenile processing office, a place of nonsecure custody, a secure detention facility as provided by Subsection (j), or a facility as provided by Subsection (l), a child detained in a building that contains a jail or lockup may not have any contact with:
(1) part-time or full-time security staff, including management, who have contact with adults detained in the same building; or
(2) direct-care staff who have contact with adults detained in the same building.
(h) This section does not apply to a person:
(1) who has been transferred to criminal court for prosecution under Section 54.02 and is at least 17 years of age; or
(2) who is at least 17 years of age and who has been taken into custody after having:
(A) escaped from a juvenile facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department; or
(B) violated a condition of release under supervision of the department.
(i) Except for a facility as provided by Subsection (l), a governmental unit or private entity that operates or contracts for the operation of a juvenile pre-adjudication secure detention facility under Subsection (b-1) in this state shall:
(1) register the facility annually with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department; and
(2) adhere to all applicable minimum standards for the facility.
(j) After being taken into custody, a child may be detained in a secure detention facility until the child is released under Section 53.01, 53.012, or 53.02 or until a detention hearing is held under Section 54.01(a), regardless of whether the facility has been certified under Subsection (c), if:
(1) a certified juvenile detention facility is not available in the county in which the child is taken into custody;
(2) the detention facility complies with:
(A) the short-term detention standards adopted by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department; and
(B) the requirements of Subsection (f); and
(3) the detention facility has been designated by the county juvenile board for the county in which the facility is located.
(j-1) After being taken into custody, a child may be detained in a nonsecure correctional facility until the child is released under Section 53.01, 53.012, or 53.02 or until a detention hearing is held under Section 54.01(a), if:
(1) the nonsecure correctional facility has been appropriately registered and certified;
(2) a certified secure detention facility is not available in the county in which the child is taken into custody;
(3) the nonsecure correctional facility complies with the short-term detention standards adopted by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department; and
(4) the nonsecure correctional facility has been designated by the county juvenile board for the county in which the facility is located.
(k) If a child who is detained under Subsection (j) or (l) is not released from detention at the conclusion of the detention hearing for a reason stated in Section 54.01(e), the child may be detained after the hearing only in a certified juvenile detention facility.
(l) A child who is taken into custody and required to be detained under Section 53.02(f) may be detained in a county jail or other facility until the child is released under Section 53.02(f) or until a detention hearing is held as required by Section 54.01(p), regardless of whether the facility complies with the requirements of this section, if:
(1) a certified juvenile detention facility or a secure detention facility described by Subsection (j) is not available in the county in which the child is taken into custody or in an adjacent county;
(2) the facility has been designated by the county juvenile board for the county in which the facility is located;
(3) the child is separated by sight and sound from adults detained in the same facility through architectural design or time-phasing;
(4) the child does not have any contact with management or direct-care staff that has contact with adults detained in the same facility on the same work shift;
(5) the county in which the child is taken into custody is not located in a metropolitan statistical area as designated by the United States Bureau of the Census; and
(6) each judge of the juvenile court and a majority of the members of the juvenile board of the county in which the child is taken into custody have personally inspected the facility at least annually and have certified in writing to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department that the facility complies with the requirements of Subdivisions (3) and (4).
(m) The Texas Juvenile Justice Department may deny, suspend, or revoke the registration of any facility required to register under Subsection (i) if the facility fails to:
(1) adhere to all applicable minimum standards for the facility; or
(2) timely correct any notice of noncompliance with minimum standards.
Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 1460, ch. 544, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1973. Amended by Acts 1975, 64th Leg., p. 2155, ch. 693, Sec. 10, 11, eff. Sept. 1, 1975; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 293, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 26, 1985; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 31, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 262, Sec. 12, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 772, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1374, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 62, Sec. 6.07, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 232, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1477, Sec. 2, eff; Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1297, Sec. 10, eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1514, Sec. 13, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.
Amended by:
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 263 (S.B. 103), Sec. 5, eff. June 8, 2007.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1087 (S.B. 1209), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1299 (H.B. 2862), Sec. 10, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 734 (H.B. 1549), Sec. 44, eff. September 1, 2015.