(a) A court, judge, referee, peace officer, or employee of a detention facility shall not knowingly detain any minor in a jail or lockup, unless otherwise permitted by any other law.

(b) (1) A minor 14 years of age or older who is taken into temporary custody by a peace officer on the basis of being a person described by Section 602, and who, in the reasonable belief of the peace officer, presents a serious security risk of harm to self or others, may be securely detained in a law enforcement facility that contains a lockup for adults, if all of the following conditions are met:

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(A) The minor is held in temporary custody for the purpose of investigating the case, facilitating release of the minor to a parent or guardian, or arranging transfer of the minor to an appropriate juvenile facility.

(B) The minor is detained in the law enforcement facility for a period that does not exceed six hours except as provided in subdivision (d).

(C) The minor is informed at the time the minor is securely detained of the purpose of the secure detention, of the length of time the secure detention is expected to last, and of the maximum six-hour period the secure detention is authorized to last. In the event an extension is granted pursuant to subdivision (d), the minor shall be informed of the length of time the extension is expected to last.

(D) Contact between the minor and adults confined in the facility is restricted in accordance with Section 208.

(E) The minor is adequately supervised.

(F) A log or other written record is maintained by the law enforcement agency showing the offense that is the basis for the secure detention of the minor in the facility, the reasons and circumstances forming the basis for the decision to place the minor in secure detention, and the length of time the minor was securely detained.

(2) Any other minor, other than a minor to which paragraph (1) applies, who is taken into temporary custody by a peace officer on the basis that the minor is a person described by Section 602 may be taken to a law enforcement facility that contains a lockup for adults and may be held in temporary custody in the facility for the purposes of investigating the case, facilitating the release of the minor to a parent or guardian, or arranging for the transfer of the minor to an appropriate juvenile facility. While in the law enforcement facility, the minor may not be securely detained and shall be supervised in a manner so as to ensure that there will be no contact with adults in custody in the facility. If the minor is held in temporary, nonsecure custody within the facility, the peace officer shall exercise one of the dispositional options authorized by Sections 626 and 626.5 without unnecessary delay and, in every case, within six hours.

(3) “Law enforcement facility,” as used in this subdivision, includes a police station or a sheriff’s station, but does not include a jail, as defined in subdivision (g).

(c) The Board of State and Community Corrections shall assist law enforcement agencies, probation departments, and courts with the implementation of this section by doing all of the following:

(1) The board shall advise each law enforcement agency, probation department, and court affected by this section as to its existence and effect.

(2) The board shall make available and, upon request, shall provide, technical assistance to each governmental agency that reported the confinement of a minor in a jail or lockup in calendar year 1984 or 1985. The purpose of this technical assistance is to develop alternatives to the use of jails or lockups for the confinement of minors. These alternatives may include secure or nonsecure facilities located apart from an existing jail or lockup, improved transportation or access to juvenile halls or other juvenile facilities, and other programmatic alternatives recommended by the board. The technical assistance shall take any form the board deems appropriate for effective compliance with this section.

(d) (1) (A) Under the limited conditions of inclement weather, acts of God, or natural disasters that result in the temporary unavailability of transportation, an extension of the six-hour maximum period of detention set forth in paragraph (2) of subdivision(b) may be granted to a county by the Board of Corrections. The extension may be granted only by the board, on an individual, case-by-case basis. If the extension is granted, the detention of minors under those conditions shall not exceed the duration of the special conditions, plus a period reasonably necessary to accomplish transportation of the minor to a suitable juvenile facility, not to exceed six hours after the restoration of available transportation.

(B) A county that receives an extension under this paragraph shall comply with the requirements set forth in subdivision (b). The county also shall provide a written report to the board that specifies when the inclement weather, act of God, or natural disaster ceased to exist, when transportation availability was restored, and when the minor was delivered to a suitable juvenile facility. If the minor was detained in excess of 24 hours, the board shall verify the information contained in the report.

(2) Under the limited condition of temporary unavailability of transportation, an extension of the six-hour maximum period of detention set forth in paragraph (2) of subdivision(b) may be granted by the board to an offshore law enforcement facility. The extension may be granted only by the board, on an individual, case-by-case basis. If the extension is granted, the detention of minors under those conditions shall extend only until the next available mode of transportation can be arranged.

An offshore law enforcement facility that receives an extension under this paragraph shall comply with the requirements set forth in subdivision (b). The facility also shall provide a written report to the board that specifies when the next mode of transportation became available, and when the minor was delivered to a suitable juvenile facility. If the minor was detained in excess of 24 hours, the board shall verify the information contained in the report.

(3) At least annually, the board shall review and report on extensions sought and granted under this subdivision. If, upon that review, the board determines that a county has sought one or more extensions resulting in the excessive confinement of minors in adult facilities, or that a county is engaged in a pattern and practice of seeking extensions, it shall require the county to submit a detailed explanation of the reasons for the extensions sought and an assessment of the need for a conveniently located and suitable juvenile facility. Upon receiving this information, the board shall make available, and the county shall accept, technical assistance for the purpose of developing suitable alternatives to the confinement of minors in adult lockups.

(e) Any county that did not have a juvenile hall on January 1, 1987, may establish a special purpose juvenile hall, as defined by the Board of Corrections, for the detention of minors for a period not to exceed 96 hours. Any county that had a juvenile hall on January 1, 1987, also may establish, in addition to the juvenile hall, a special purpose juvenile hall. The board shall prescribe minimum standards for that type of facility.

(f) No part of a building or a building complex that contains a jail may be converted or utilized as a secure juvenile facility unless all of the following criteria are met:

(1) The juvenile facility is physically, or architecturally, separate and apart from the jail or lockup such that there could be no contact between juveniles and incarcerated adults.

(2) Sharing of nonresidential program areas only occurs where there are written policies and procedures that assure that there is time-phased use of those areas that prevents contact between juveniles and incarcerated adults.

(3) The juvenile facility has a dedicated and separate staff from the jail or lockup, including management, security, and direct care staff. Staff who provide specialized services such as food, laundry, maintenance, engineering, or medical services, who are not normally in contact with detainees, or whose infrequent contacts occur under conditions of separation of juveniles and adults, may serve both populations.

(4) The juvenile facility complies with all applicable state and local statutory, licensing, and regulatory requirements for juvenile facilities of its type.

(g) (1) “Jail,” as used in this chapter, means a locked facility administered by a law enforcement or governmental agency, the purpose of which is to detain adults who have been charged with violations of criminal law and are pending trial, or to hold convicted adult criminal offenders sentenced for less than one year.

(2) “Lockup,” as used in this chapter, means any locked room or secure enclosure under the control of a sheriff or other peace officer that is primarily for the temporary confinement of adults upon arrest.

(3) “Offshore law enforcement facility,” as used in this section, means a sheriff’s station containing a lockup for adults that is located on an island located at least 22 miles from the California coastline.

(h) This section shall not be deemed to prevent a peace officer or employee of an adult detention facility or jail from escorting a minor into the detention facility or jail for the purpose of administering an evaluation, test, or chemical test pursuant to § 23157 of the Vehicle Code, if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The minor is taken into custody by a peace officer on the basis of being a person described by Section 602 and there is no equipment for the administration of the evaluation, test, or chemical test located at a juvenile facility within a reasonable distance of the point where the minor was taken into custody.

(2) The minor is not locked in a cell or room within the adult detention facility or jail, is under the continuous, personal supervision of a peace officer or employee of the detention facility or jail, and is not permitted to come in contact or remain in contact with in-custody adults.

(3) The evaluation, test, or chemical test administered pursuant to § 23157 of the Vehicle Code is performed as expeditiously as possible, so that the minor is not delayed unnecessarily within the adult detention facility or jail. Upon completion of the evaluation, test, or chemical test, the minor shall be removed from the detention facility or jail as soon as reasonably possible. A minor shall not be held in custody in an adult detention facility or jail under the authority of this paragraph in excess of two hours.

(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 337, Sec. 16. (SB 823) Effective September 30, 2020.)