Sponsor Statement for HB 16

HB 16 addresses the specific policy decisions regarding minors who commit criminal acts. These policy issues include: arrest, detention, preliminary inquiries and prosecution decisions made by police officers, juvenile intake officers, and juvenile probation officers.

The authority for a peace officer to arrest a minor is established in statute. Alaska court rules, however, supersede this authority by granting a juvenile intake officer in DFYS authority to override the officer's decision. HB 16 removes agency policy from the Alaska Court Rules and places this policy in statute for approval by the legislature, where it properly belongs.