§ 16-2313 — Place of detention or shelter.

(a) A child who is alleged to be neglected or in need of supervision and who is in custody may be placed at any time prior to disposition, only in —

(1) a foster home;

(2) a group home, youth shelter, or other appropriate home for nondelinquent children; or

(3) another facility for shelter care designated by the Division, including an appropriate facility operated by the District of Columbia.

(b) A child who is alleged to be delinquent and who is in custody may be detained at any time prior to disposition only in —

(1) a foster home;

(2) a group home, youth shelter, or other appropriate home for allegedly delinquent children; or

(3) a detention home for allegedly delinquent children, designated by the Division, including an appropriate facility operated by the District of Columbia.

(c) A child in detention or shelter care may be temporarily transferred to a medical facility for physical care and may, on order of the Division, be temporarily transferred to a facility for mental examination or treatment.

(1) No child under eighteen years of age may be detained in a jail or other facility for the detention of adults, unless transferred as provided in section 16-2307. The appropriate official of a jail or other facility for the detention of adults shall inform the Superior Court immediately when a child under the age of eighteen years is received there (other than by transfer) and shall (1) deliver him to the Director of Social Services upon request, or (2) transfer him to a detention facility described in subsection (b)(3); provided, that beginning October 1, 2018, no person under 18 years of age may be held in the custody of the Department of Corrections.

(2) All persons under 18 years of age who are in the custody of the Department of Corrections shall be transferred to the custody of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services before October 1, 2018.

(3) After October 1, 2018, the Department of Corrections shall immediately inform the Superior Court if a person under 18 years of age is transferred to the Department of Corrections and transfer the individual to the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.

(e) [Repealed].

(f) The department or agency having custody, pursuant to a shelter care order, of a child alleged to be a neglected child shall give notice, which may be oral, of any change in the placement of the child to the child’s parent, the child’s guardian ad litem and the child’s foster parent, if any, at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the change in placement, except that in the case of an emergency, notice shall be given no later than twenty-four (24) hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays) after the change. Notice need not be given to the parent where the Division has found that visitation would be detrimental to the child or the Division has determined that the parent should not be apprised of the child’s location. Upon the request of any person entitled to notice under this subsection, the department or agency having legal custody of the child shall afford an opportunity for an administrative hearing to review the proposed change in the placement of the child, except that the department or agency need not conduct such a hearing if the requestor does not qualify as a party pursuant to D.C. Official Code, section 16-2304.

Legislative History

Dec. 23, 1963, 77 Stat. 590, Pub. L. 88-241, § 1; July 29, 1970, 84 Stat. 531, Pub. L. 91-358, title I, § 121(a); Sept. 23, 1977, D.C. Law 2-22, title IV, § 404, 24 DCR 3341