BEILFUSS, C. J.
This is a review of an unpublished decision of the court of appeals which affirmed the circuit court’s order, Judge William D. Gardner, presiding, extending a juvenile dispositional order for 30 days pending a full hearing on the extension pursuant to sec. 48.365(6), Stats.
On January 18, 1980, legal custody of the appellant, S.D.R., was transferred to the Department of Health and Social Services after he was adjudicated delinquent by Judge Gardner. The dispositional order, which placed S.D.R. at the Ethan Allen School for Boys, was for a period of one year, with an expiration date of January 18,1981.
On January 12, 1981, six days prior to the expiration of the dispositional order, the assistant district attorney petitioned for an extension of the order pursuant to sec. 48.365, Stats.1 The extension petition was based upon, [569]*569and accompanied by, a commitment extension report prepared by a social worker at the Ethan Allen School. This report related S.D.R.’s offense history, adjustment to Ethan Allen, and potential for family reintegration. The report stated that while S.D.R. had made “modest gains” [570]*570at Ethan Allen, he continued to exhibit a need for a “high degree of structure and supervision.” The report recommended that S.D.R.’s custody be extended for a period of one year in a highly structured alternate care facility such as a residential treatment center.
The court directed that the motion be heard on January 15, 1981, and notified the statutorily designated necessary parties. At this hearing defense counsel indicated that S.D.R. was contesting the extension and requested that a hearing on the merits of the extension be held prior to the expiration of the dispositional order to prevent a violation of S.D.R.’s right to liberty. The district attorney responded that the petition was timely filed, quoting sec. 48.365(6), Stats. Defense counsel complained that the court was unable to hear the case before the expiration of the dispositional order because of the failure of the district attorney’s office to file a petition at an earlier date. She cited to the fact that the social worker’s report was dated December 18, 1980, and that timely action on the part of the district attorney’s office would have allowed a hearing before expiration of the disposition order. The district attorney did not know the exact date that his office received the report but stated that at most 10 or 12 working days passed from receipt of the report until the filing of the petition.
The court held that the petition was timely filed because sec. 48.365(6), Stats., provided authority to extend a dispositional order up to 30 days in order to hold a hearing as long as the petition is filed before the expiration of the order. The court found that it was unable to hear S.D.R.’s case before the expiration of the order because it had not been given enough advance notice. The court set the case for hearing on February 12, 1981, and extended custody over S.D.R. through that date.
At the February 12th hearing on the merits of the petition for extension, S.D.R. moved to dismiss the peti[571]*571tion because the hearing had not been held prior to the expiration of the dispositional order, thus violating S.D.R.’s right to due process. The court expressed concern over the fact that the State, by delaying the extension, can cause a juvenile to be kept in the custody of the State for an additional period of time. However, it found no evidence that the district attorney’s office had intentionally delayed the hearing in this case. The court also recognized that part of the delay was due to its own crowded calendar. The court denied the motion to dismiss, finding that sec. 48.365(6), Stats., permitted an extension for up to 30 days pending hearing. The court then proceeded to conduct the hearing on the merits of the extension. At this hearing S.D.R. was represented by counsel, called witnesses on his own behalf, and was allowed to cross-examine the State’s witnesses. At the close of the evidence the court ordered the dispositional order extended for eleven months, with an expiration date of January 18, 1982, which was one year from the date the original order was to expire. The court found that S.D.R. was eligible to leave Ethan Allen and that he should be alternatively placed within three weeks.
S.D.R. appealed the extension of the dispositional order. He claimed that the temporary extension of custody pending a hearing pursuant to sec. 48.365(6), Stats., unconstitutionally deprived him of his liberty without due process. He also claimed that the statute was unconstitutionally vague because it failed to provide standards for the trial court to follow in determining when temporary extensions are permitted.
The court of appeals affirmed the trial court’s orders concluding that pursuant to sec. 48.365(6), Stats., a juvenile does not have a liberty interest until one year and 30 days and that the statute was not vague. The court reasoned that sec. 48.355(4) and sec. 48.365(6) must be read together to permit the extension of a dis-[572]*572positional order for 30 days where the petition is filed before the expiration of the order and the trial judge is unable to hold a hearing. It found that this procedure was not fundamentally unfair. The court also reasoned that the inability to hold the hearing prior to expiration of the order was an adequate standard to guide the court in determining when such an extension may be granted. We granted S.D.R.’s petition to review.2
The principal issue on appeal is whether sec. 48.365 (6), Stats., which allows a 30-day extension of a dispo-sitional order pending a hearing, deprives a juvenile of liberty without due process. Based on an examination of the Wisconsin Children’s Code, ch. 48, Stats., we conclude that the statute does not violate due process because no liberty interest is violated until 30 days following the termination of a dispositional order if the petition for extension is filed within the period of the dis-positional order.
Procedural due process basically requires that the State afford the opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time in a meaningful manner.3 But the procedural guarantees of the due process clause apply only to government action which deprives a person of interests encompassed by the Fourteenth Amendment’s protection of [573]*573liberty or property.4 Therefore to determine in the first instance whether due process requirements apply, we must examine the nature of the interest at stake.5 In order to have an interest which is protected by the due process clause
“ ‘a person clearly must have more than an abstract need or desire for it. He must have more than a unilateral expectation of it. He must, instead, have a legitimate claim of entitlement to it.’ ”6
S.D.R. claims that his liberty was unconstitutionally restrained because he was confined past the expiration date of the original dispositional order without being afforded due process protections. The liberty interest asserted here, freedom from involuntary confinement, is clearly an interest protected by the due process clause. However, whether this liberty interest is implicated in this case depends on whether S.D.R. had a legitimate expectation of liberty at the expiration of the disposi-tional order.
S.D.R.
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BEILFUSS, C. J.
This is a review of an unpublished decision of the court of appeals which affirmed the circuit court’s order, Judge William D. Gardner, presiding, extending a juvenile dispositional order for 30 days pending a full hearing on the extension pursuant to sec. 48.365(6), Stats.
On January 18, 1980, legal custody of the appellant, S.D.R., was transferred to the Department of Health and Social Services after he was adjudicated delinquent by Judge Gardner. The dispositional order, which placed S.D.R. at the Ethan Allen School for Boys, was for a period of one year, with an expiration date of January 18,1981.
On January 12, 1981, six days prior to the expiration of the dispositional order, the assistant district attorney petitioned for an extension of the order pursuant to sec. 48.365, Stats.1 The extension petition was based upon, [569]*569and accompanied by, a commitment extension report prepared by a social worker at the Ethan Allen School. This report related S.D.R.’s offense history, adjustment to Ethan Allen, and potential for family reintegration. The report stated that while S.D.R. had made “modest gains” [570]*570at Ethan Allen, he continued to exhibit a need for a “high degree of structure and supervision.” The report recommended that S.D.R.’s custody be extended for a period of one year in a highly structured alternate care facility such as a residential treatment center.
The court directed that the motion be heard on January 15, 1981, and notified the statutorily designated necessary parties. At this hearing defense counsel indicated that S.D.R. was contesting the extension and requested that a hearing on the merits of the extension be held prior to the expiration of the dispositional order to prevent a violation of S.D.R.’s right to liberty. The district attorney responded that the petition was timely filed, quoting sec. 48.365(6), Stats. Defense counsel complained that the court was unable to hear the case before the expiration of the dispositional order because of the failure of the district attorney’s office to file a petition at an earlier date. She cited to the fact that the social worker’s report was dated December 18, 1980, and that timely action on the part of the district attorney’s office would have allowed a hearing before expiration of the disposition order. The district attorney did not know the exact date that his office received the report but stated that at most 10 or 12 working days passed from receipt of the report until the filing of the petition.
The court held that the petition was timely filed because sec. 48.365(6), Stats., provided authority to extend a dispositional order up to 30 days in order to hold a hearing as long as the petition is filed before the expiration of the order. The court found that it was unable to hear S.D.R.’s case before the expiration of the order because it had not been given enough advance notice. The court set the case for hearing on February 12, 1981, and extended custody over S.D.R. through that date.
At the February 12th hearing on the merits of the petition for extension, S.D.R. moved to dismiss the peti[571]*571tion because the hearing had not been held prior to the expiration of the dispositional order, thus violating S.D.R.’s right to due process. The court expressed concern over the fact that the State, by delaying the extension, can cause a juvenile to be kept in the custody of the State for an additional period of time. However, it found no evidence that the district attorney’s office had intentionally delayed the hearing in this case. The court also recognized that part of the delay was due to its own crowded calendar. The court denied the motion to dismiss, finding that sec. 48.365(6), Stats., permitted an extension for up to 30 days pending hearing. The court then proceeded to conduct the hearing on the merits of the extension. At this hearing S.D.R. was represented by counsel, called witnesses on his own behalf, and was allowed to cross-examine the State’s witnesses. At the close of the evidence the court ordered the dispositional order extended for eleven months, with an expiration date of January 18, 1982, which was one year from the date the original order was to expire. The court found that S.D.R. was eligible to leave Ethan Allen and that he should be alternatively placed within three weeks.
S.D.R. appealed the extension of the dispositional order. He claimed that the temporary extension of custody pending a hearing pursuant to sec. 48.365(6), Stats., unconstitutionally deprived him of his liberty without due process. He also claimed that the statute was unconstitutionally vague because it failed to provide standards for the trial court to follow in determining when temporary extensions are permitted.
The court of appeals affirmed the trial court’s orders concluding that pursuant to sec. 48.365(6), Stats., a juvenile does not have a liberty interest until one year and 30 days and that the statute was not vague. The court reasoned that sec. 48.355(4) and sec. 48.365(6) must be read together to permit the extension of a dis-[572]*572positional order for 30 days where the petition is filed before the expiration of the order and the trial judge is unable to hold a hearing. It found that this procedure was not fundamentally unfair. The court also reasoned that the inability to hold the hearing prior to expiration of the order was an adequate standard to guide the court in determining when such an extension may be granted. We granted S.D.R.’s petition to review.2
The principal issue on appeal is whether sec. 48.365 (6), Stats., which allows a 30-day extension of a dispo-sitional order pending a hearing, deprives a juvenile of liberty without due process. Based on an examination of the Wisconsin Children’s Code, ch. 48, Stats., we conclude that the statute does not violate due process because no liberty interest is violated until 30 days following the termination of a dispositional order if the petition for extension is filed within the period of the dis-positional order.
Procedural due process basically requires that the State afford the opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time in a meaningful manner.3 But the procedural guarantees of the due process clause apply only to government action which deprives a person of interests encompassed by the Fourteenth Amendment’s protection of [573]*573liberty or property.4 Therefore to determine in the first instance whether due process requirements apply, we must examine the nature of the interest at stake.5 In order to have an interest which is protected by the due process clause
“ ‘a person clearly must have more than an abstract need or desire for it. He must have more than a unilateral expectation of it. He must, instead, have a legitimate claim of entitlement to it.’ ”6
S.D.R. claims that his liberty was unconstitutionally restrained because he was confined past the expiration date of the original dispositional order without being afforded due process protections. The liberty interest asserted here, freedom from involuntary confinement, is clearly an interest protected by the due process clause. However, whether this liberty interest is implicated in this case depends on whether S.D.R. had a legitimate expectation of liberty at the expiration of the disposi-tional order.
S.D.R. was adjudicated delinquent in a proceeding in which he was accorded full due process protections. Following such a constitutional deprivation of liberty he had no legitimate expectation of release except as provided by the Children’s Code. Thus the determination of whether sec. 48.365(6), Stats., deprived S.D.R. of due process depends on the legislature’s intent as to when juveniles have a legitimate expectation of freedom under ch. 48.
[574]*574S.D.R. contends that a juvenile has a statutorily created liberty interest at the end of one year. He relies solely on sec. 48.355(4), Stats., which provides that all dispositional orders terminate at the end of one year unless the judge specifies a shorter time. We reject this analysis because it only looks to one subsection of ch. 48 in isolation. Rather an examination of the entire juvenile adjudication process under ch. 48 is appropriate.
The legislature in 1977 completely revised the Children’s Code. Ch. 354, Laws of 1977. Under the Code as it existed prior to this revision, a juvenile who was transferred to the custody of the department remained subject to the original dispositional order until he or she reached the age of eighteen, unless the department discharged the child earlier.7 The new Code completely revised this system and presently provides for a system which allows for at least yearly review of dispositional orders with procedural protections applicable at the original disposition and any subsequent dispositions.
At the time the juvenile is originally adjudicated delinquent, he or she is afforded a hearing with full due process protections.8 The Code then envisions yearly review of the original disposition by placing a one-year limit on such orders which can only be extended by a specific request for extension.9 Such a request may be granted only after a due process hearing is held on the merits of the extension.10 These protections include notice to all parties and the right of each party to present evidence. The judge must make findings of fact and conclusions of law based on the evidence. Further, the party responsible for the care of the child must submit a very particularized report stating the extent to which [575]*575the objectives of the original order have been met. The order extending a dispositional order must be for a specified time not to exceed one year.11
The extension statute also provides for a 30-day extension of the original dispositional order pending the hearing. This is the provision at issue in this case, which provides:
“(6) If a request to extend a dispositional order is made prior to the termination of the order, but the court is unable to conduct a hearing on the request prior to the termination date, the court may extend the order for a period of not more than 30 days.” Sec. 48.365(6), Stats.
This statute is applicable in only limited circumstances. A temporary extension can only be granted when a request for such extension is filed before the expiration of the dispositional order. The extension is granted only if the court is unable to conduct the plenary hearing prior to the termination of the dispositional order. Further, the extension granted under this provision can not be for more than 30 days and the full hearing must be held within that period.
This review of the juvenile process provided for in ch. 48, Stats., leads us to the conclusion that the legislature intended the process to be viewed as a continuum. The process begins with full procedural due process protections and such protections are also provided at least on a yearly basis with the possibility of a temporary extension in order to schedule and conduct the extension hearing. The Code, when viewed in its entirety, did not set up a system whereby a juvenile is automatically released at the end of the dispositional order. Rather, under ch. 48 dispositional orders terminate at the end of one year unless the order is extended by the court for up to 30 days pending a plenary hearing, or for up to a [576]*576year following such a hearing. Thus the Code sets up a system of annual review guaranteeing procedural due process at least within one year and 30 days after the original dispositional order is entered.
The temporary extension provision is an integral part of the revised Code which provides for yearly review of juvenile dispositions. In changing from the system under the old Code, which allowed continued confinement until after eighteen without any review, the legislature deemed it necessary to allow a short additional period to accommodate situations when the court was “unable” to hold the extension hearing prior to the expiration of the dispositional order. Such a temporary extension is in the best interests of all parties involved in the juvenile process. “[T]he purpose of the hearing to extend the dispositional order is to evaluate the child’s progress and to determine whether continued control is necessary.”12 The report which documents the child’s progress and future needs can not be prepared too long before the end of the dispositional order or it will not accurately reflect the child’s progress and needs. The legislature in providing for the 30-day period balanced the interests of the juvenile in having a hearing before the expiration of the dispositional order and having the benefit of the entire dispositional period to examine his or her progress. Further, the legislature recognized the problems of scheduling the plenary extension hearing into busy court calendars prior to the expiration of the order. Thus, through sec. 48.365(6), Stats., the legislature attempted to effectively and practically implement the annual review requirement of the revised Code.
Because the juvenile process under ch. 48, Stats., must be viewed as a continuum, including the temporary ex[577]*577tension provision, we find that a juvenile does not have a legitimate expectation of liberty until up to 30 days following the expiration date of the dispositional order. Therefore, because S.D.R. had no statutorily created entitlement to liberty until up to 30 days following the termination of his original dispositional order, the due process clause has not been violated.
In conclusion, we reiterate that sec. 48.365(6), Stats., applies only if the request for extension is filed before the expiration of the dispositional order and the court is unable to conduct the required hearing prior to the order’s expiration. We hold that the petition for extension should set forth some reason for requesting the extension. While a petition for extension filed one day before the expiration date is timely, we recommend that parties seeking to extend a juvenile disposition file such petitions, when possible, at a time which enables the court to conduct the plenary hearing prior to the termination of the order. We also urge trial courts to hold the plenary hearing as near as possible to the expiration of the dispositional order. However, under no circumstances may the dispositional order be temporarily extended for more than 30 days. The court must hear and decide the extension request within 30 days of the termination of the order.
The second issue raised by S.D.R. is whether sec. 48.-365(6), Stats., is unconstitutionally vague. S.D.R. contends that the phrase “but the court is unable to conduct a hearing” is vague because it does not provide sufficient guidance to the trial court in determining when a temporary extension should be granted. We disagree.
“Unless a statute is so vague and uncertain that it is impossible to execute it or to ascertain the legislative [578]*578intent with reasonable certainty, it is valid.”13 Sec. 48.365 (6), Stats., clearly does not fall into this category. As discussed earlier, the legislative intent behind the inclusion of sec. 48.365(6) was to allow a leeway period in which to implement the annual review of dispositional orders envisioned by ch. 48. The provision applies only in circumstances where the petition for extension is filed so close to the expiration date that the court is “unable” to schedule and conduct the full due process hearing prior to the end of the order. We find that sec. 48.365(6) provides sufficient guidance to trial courts to determine when to grant temporary extensions. The standard of “inability” to conduct the hearing, in light of the purposes of the temporary extension provision as construed in this case, provides sufficient guidance to trial courts to protect juveniles from arbitrary and capricious granting of temporary extensions.
By the Court. — The decision of the court of appeals is affirmed.