An Act To Ensure That Statements Made by a Juvenile or a Juvenile's Parents, Guardian or Legal Custodian While Participating in Informal Adjustment Processes Are Not Admissible in Court

Sec. 1. 15 MRSA §3204, first ¶,  as amended by PL 1999, c. 624, Pt. B, §7, is further amended to read:

Statements of a juvenile or of a juvenile's parents, guardian or legal custodian made to a juvenile community corrections officer during the course of a preliminary investigation or made to a community resolution team under section 3301 are not admissible in evidence at an adjudicatory hearing against that juvenile if a petition based on the same facts is later filed.

Sec. 2. 15 MRSA §3204,  as amended by PL 1999, c. 624, Pt. B, §7, is further amended by adding at the end a new paragraph to read:

Statements of a juvenile or of a juvenile's parents, guardian or legal custodian made during an informal adjustment or during a restorative justice program or substance use disorder or mental health treatment program attended by the juvenile in connection with an informal adjustment are not admissible in evidence at an adjudicatory hearing against that juvenile if a petition based on the same facts is later filed.

SUMMARY

This bill amends the Maine Juvenile Code to provide that statements of a juvenile or of a juvenile's parents, guardian or legal custodian made during an informal adjustment or during a restorative justice program or substance use disorder or mental health treatment program attended by the juvenile in connection with an informal adjustment are not admissible in evidence at an adjudicatory hearing against that juvenile if a petition based on the same facts is later filed. The bill also removes a cross-reference to a provision of law regarding community resolution teams, which has been repealed.