South Carolina General Assembly
120th Session, 2013-2014

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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

S. 520

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Jackson, Fair and Hutto
Document Path: l:\council\bills\nbd\11173ac13.docx
Companion/Similar bill(s): 440, 509, 3855

Introduced in the Senate on March 12, 2013
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary

Summary: Use of restraints on juveniles in court

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   3/12/2013  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 9)
   3/12/2013  Senate  Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (Senate Journal-page 9)
    2/7/2014  Senate  Referred to Subcommittee: Hutto (ch), Corbin, Young

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

3/12/2013

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 63-19-1435 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE USE OF RESTRAINTS ON JUVENILES APPEARING IN COURT ARE PROHIBITED UNLESS THE RESTRAINTS ARE NECESSARY TO PREVENT HARM OR IF THE JUVENILE IS A FLIGHT RISK AND THERE ARE NO LESS RESTRICTIVE ALTERNATIVES AVAILABLE; TO GIVE A JUVENILE'S ATTORNEY THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD BEFORE THE COURT ORDERS THE USE OF RESTRAINTS; AND IF RESTRAINTS ARE ORDERED, TO REQUIRE THE COURT TO MAKE FINDINGS OF FACT IN SUPPORT OF THE ORDER.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Article 13, Chapter 19, Title 63 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 63-19-1435.    (A)    If a juvenile appears before the court wearing instruments of restraint, such as handcuffs, chains, irons, or straightjackets, the court in any proceeding may not continue with the juvenile required to wear instruments of restraint unless the court first finds that:

(1)    the use of restraints is necessary due to one of the following factors:

(a)    the juvenile poses a threat of serious harm to himself or others;

(b)    the juvenile has a demonstrable recent record of disruptive courtroom behavior that has placed others in potentially harmful situations; or

(c)    there is reason to believe the juvenile is a flight risk; and

(2)    there are no less restrictive alternatives to restraints that will prevent flight or physical harm to the juvenile or another person, including, but not limited to, court personnel, law enforcement officers, or bailiffs.

(B)    The court shall provide the juvenile's attorney an opportunity to be heard before the court orders the use of restraints. If restraints are ordered, the court shall make findings of fact in support of the order."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on June 9, 2014 at 4:57 PM