Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 938 - Juvenile justice code.
938.315 - Delays, continuances and extensions.

938.315 Delays, continuances and extensions.
(1) Time periods to be excluded. The following time periods shall be excluded in computing time periods under this chapter:
(a) Any period of delay resulting from any of the following:
1. Other legal actions concerning the juvenile, including an examination under s. 938.295 or a hearing related to the juvenile's mental condition, prehearing motions, waiver motions, and hearings on other matters.
2. A continuance granted at the request of or with the consent of the juvenile and counsel.
3. The disqualification or substitution of a judge or by any other transfer of the case or intake inquiry to a different judge, intake worker or county.
4. A continuance granted at the request of the representative of the public under s. 938.09 if the continuance is granted because of the unavailability of evidence material to the case when he or she has exercised due diligence to obtain the evidence and there are reasonable grounds to believe that the evidence will be available at the later date, or to allow him or her additional time to prepare the case and additional time is justified because of the exceptional circumstances of the case.
5. Court congestion or scheduling.
6. The imposition of a consent decree.
7. The absence or unavailability of the juvenile.
8. The inability of the court to provide the juvenile with notice of an extension hearing under s. 938.365 due to the juvenile having run away or otherwise having made himself or herself unavailable to receive that notice.
9. The need to appoint a qualified interpreter.
10. Consultation under s. 938.24 (2r) or 938.25 (2g).
11. A continuance, not to exceed 20 days, granted at the request of the parent, Indian custodian, or tribe of a juvenile whom the court knows or has reason to know is an Indian juvenile to enable the requester to prepare for a proceeding under s. 938.13 (4), (6), (6m), or (7) involving the out-of-home care placement of the juvenile.
(g) A reasonable period of delay when the juvenile is joined in a hearing with another juvenile as to whom the time for a hearing has not expired under this section if there is good cause for not hearing the cases separately.
(2) Continuance for good cause. A continuance may be granted by the court only upon a showing of good cause in open court or during a telephone conference under s. 807.13 on the record and only for so long as is necessary, taking into account the request or consent of the representative of the public under s. 938.09 or the parties, the interests of the victims and the interest of the public in the prompt disposition of cases.
(2m) When no continuance, extension, or exclusion permitted. No continuance or extension of a time period specified in this chapter may be granted and no period of delay specified in sub. (1) may be excluded in computing a time period under this chapter if the continuance, extension, or exclusion would result in any of the following:
(a) The court making an initial finding under s. 938.21 (5) (b) 1. or 1m., 938.32 (1) (c) 1., 938.355 (2) (b) 6., or 938.357 (2v) (a) 1. that reasonable efforts have been made to prevent the removal of the juvenile from the home, while assuring that the juvenile's health and safety are the paramount concerns, or an initial finding under s. 938.21 (5) (b) 3., 938.32 (1) (c) 2., 938.355 (2) (b) 6r., or 938.357 (2v) (a) 3. that those efforts were not required to be made because a circumstance specified in s. 938.355 (2d) (b) 1. to 4. applies, more than 60 days after the date on which the juvenile was removed from the home.
(b) The court making an initial finding under s. 938.38 (5m) that the agency primarily responsible for providing services to the juvenile has made reasonable efforts to achieve the permanency goal of the juvenile's permanency plan more than 12 months after the date on which the juvenile was removed from the home or making any subsequent findings under s. 938.38 (5m) as to those reasonable efforts more than 12 months after the date of a previous finding as to those reasonable efforts.
(c) The court making a finding under s. 938.366 (3) (am) 3. that a person's placement in out-of-home care under a transition-to-independent-living agreement is in the best interests of the person more than 180 days after the date on which the agreement is entered into.
(3) Consequences of failure to act within time period. Failure by the court or a party to act within any time period specified in this chapter does not deprive the court of personal or subject matter jurisdiction or of competency to exercise that jurisdiction. Failure to object to a period of delay or a continuance waives any challenge to the court's competency to act during the period of delay or continuance. If the court or a party does not act within a time period specified in this chapter, the court, while assuring the safety of the juvenile, may grant a continuance under sub. (2), dismiss the petition with or without prejudice, release the juvenile from secure or nonsecure custody or from the terms of a custody order, or grant any other relief that the court considers appropriate.
History: 1995 a. 77, 352; 1997 a. 181; 2001 a. 16, 109; 2003 a. 284; 2005 a. 344; 2007 a. 20, 199; 2009 a. 94; 2011 a. 181; 2015 a. 55, 373.
NOTE: 2003 Wis. Act 284 contains explanatory notes.
A consent decree provides for a period of supervision that terminates when the period concludes. Its expiration is not a “time limit" under sub. (3). State v. Sarah R.P., 2001 WI App 49, 241 Wis. 2d 530, 624 N.W.2d 872, 00-2127.
The expiration date of a dispositional order is not a time limit contemplated in sub. (3). The length of time a dispositional order can remain in effect, however, is not really a requirement or deadline by which something must be done to proceed to the next step. State v. Michael S., Jr., 2005 WI 82, 282 Wis. 2d 1, 698 N.W.2d 673, 03-2934.

Structure Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations