§ 38-2391 — Overall case length limits

(a) Upon adjudication as a juvenile offender pursuant to K.S.A. 38-2356, and amendments thereto, modification of sentence pursuant to K.S.A. 38-2367, and amendments thereto, or violation of a condition of sentence pursuant to K.S.A. 38-2368, and amendments thereto, the court may impose one or more of the sentencing alternatives under K.S.A. 38-2361, and amendments thereto, for a period of time pursuant to this section and K.S.A. 38-2369, and amendments thereto. The period of time ordered by the court shall not exceed the overall case length limit.
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c), the overall case length limit shall be calculated based on the adjudicated offense and the results of a risk and needs assessment, as follows:
(1) Offenders adjudicated for a misdemeanor may remain under the jurisdiction of the court for up to 12 months;
(2) low-risk and moderate-risk offenders adjudicated for a felony may remain under court jurisdiction for up to 15 months; and
(3) high-risk offenders adjudicated for a felony may remain under court jurisdiction for up to 18 months.
(c) There shall be no overall case length limit for a juvenile adjudicated for a felony which, if committed by an adult, would constitute an off-grid felony or a nondrug severity level 1 through 4 person felony.
(d) When a juvenile is adjudicated for multiple counts, the maximum overall case length shall be calculated based on the most severe adjudicated count or any other adjudicated count at the court's discretion. The court shall not run multiple adjudicated counts consecutively.
(e) When the juvenile is adjudicated for multiple cases simultaneously, the court shall run such cases concurrently.
(f) Upon expiration of the overall case length limit as defined in subsection (b), the court's jurisdiction terminates and shall not be extended, except as provided in subsection (g)(2).
(g) (1) For the purposes of placing juvenile offenders on probation pursuant to K.S.A. 38-2361, and amendments thereto, the court shall establish a specific term of probation as specified in this subsection based on the most serious adjudicated count in combination with the results of a risk and needs assessment, as follows, except that the term of probation shall not exceed the overall case length limit:
(A) Low-risk and moderate-risk offenders adjudicated for a misdemeanor and low-risk offenders adjudicated for a felony may be placed on probation for a term up to six months;
(B) high-risk offenders adjudicated for a misdemeanor and moderate- risk offenders adjudicated for a felony may be placed on probation for a term up to nine months; and
(C) high-risk offenders adjudicated for a felony may be placed on probation for a term up to 12 months.
(2) The court may extend the term of probation if a juvenile needs time to complete an evidence-based program as determined to be necessary based on the results of a validated risk and needs assessment and, if necessary, may extend the overall case length limit to allow for completion of such program when failure to complete such program is due to a repeated, intentional effort to delay by the juvenile as reported by the evidence-based services provider. The court may also extend the term of probation for good cause shown for one month for low-risk offenders, three months for moderate-risk offenders and six months for high-risk offenders. Prior to extension of the initial probationary term, the court shall find and enter into the written record the criteria permitting extension of probation. Extensions of probation and the overall case length limit shall only be granted incrementally. When the court extends the term of probation for a juvenile offender, the court services officer or community correctional services officer responsible for monitoring such juvenile offender shall record the reason given for extending probation. Court services officers shall report such records to the office of judicial administration, and community correctional services officers shall report such records to the department of corrections. The office of judicial administration and the department of corrections shall report such recorded data to the Kansas juvenile justice oversight committee on a quarterly basis.
(3) The probation term limits do not apply to those offenders adjudicated for an offense which, if committed by an adult, would constitute an off-grid crime, rape as defined in K.S.A. 21-5503(a)(1), and amendments thereto, aggravated criminal sodomy as defined in K.S.A. 21-5504(b)(3), and amendments thereto, or murder in the second degree as defined in K.S.A. 21-5403, and amendments thereto. Such offenders may be placed on probation for a term consistent with the overall case length limit.
(4) The probation term limits and overall case length limits provided in this section shall be tolled during any time that the offender has absconded from supervision while on probation, and the time on such limits shall not start to run again until the offender is located and brought back to the jurisdiction.
(h) For the purpose of placing juvenile offenders in detention pursuant to K.S.A. 38-2361 and 38-2369, and amendments thereto, the court shall establish a specific term of detention. The term of detention shall not exceed the overall case length limit or the cumulative detention limit. Cumulative detention use shall be limited to a maximum of 45 days over the course of the juvenile offender's case, except that there shall be no limit on cumulative detention for juvenile offenders adjudicated for a felony which, if committed by an adult, would constitute an off-grid felony or a nondrug severity level 1 through 4 person felony.
(i) The provisions of this section shall apply upon disposition or 15 days after adjudication, whichever is sooner, unless the juvenile fails to appear for such juvenile's dispositional hearing. If a juvenile fails to appear at such juvenile's dispositional hearing, the probation term limits and overall case length limits provided in this section shall not apply until the juvenile is brought before the court for disposition in such juvenile's case.
(j) This section shall be a part of and supplemental to the revised Kansas juvenile justice code.

Legislative History

L. 2016, ch. 46, § 1; L. 2017, ch. 90, § 10; L. 2018, ch. 52, § 3; L. 2023, ch. 96, § 10; July 1.