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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Trujillo

DATE TYPED 2/25/05

HB 1022

SHORT TITLE Santa Fe Runaway Youth Assessment Center

SB

ANALYST Hanika-Ortiz

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$250.0

Recurring General Fund

REVENUE

Estimated Revenue

Subsequent

Years Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

Positive for Judiciary

Agencies

Recurring

General Fund

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD)

Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)

Department of Public Safety (DPS)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 1022 appropriates $250 thousand from the general fund to the Local Government Di-

vision of the Department of Finance and Administration to contract with the City of Santa Fe, in

collaboration with Santa Fe County, to develop and implement a Drop-Off and Assessment Cen-

ter for law enforcement and probation services dealing with runaway youth who are not eligible

for detention.

House Bill 1022-- Page 2

Significant Issues

Santa Fe County police officers expend up to eight hours with a juvenile from the time he/she is

picked up to the time a determination is made as to where the youth should be placed. The bill

would provide law enforcement and juvenile probation in Santa Fe County with an additional

resource for handling runaway youth who do not require placement in a juvenile detention cen-

ter. Youth should not be placed in detention centers unless they commit a crime. Research has

shown that youth exposed to the criminal system are more likely to become involved in criminal

activity.

DFA report that when a juvenile is apprehended a scoring tool developed by CYFD is used to

assess where the youth should be placed. Once the score is determined, a decision is made as to

where the juvenile is sent. Depending on the history of the juvenile and the current incident, the

youth may be sent home, foster care, or to stay with a relative.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The bill may help with CYFD Juvenile Justice performance measures by reducing percent of cli-

ents committed to a detention facility.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center (BCJDC) has a similar program that has posted

impressive results on all fronts. The BCJDC use to house 140 children age 8 to 18, with an aver-

age length of stay of 33 days each.

Relevant New Mexico state agencies now license the BCJDC

as a Community Mental Health Center, which allows the state to bill Medicaid for all medical

and behavioral health services for non-adjudicated youth. Since the clinic opened in 2002, the

clinic has treated more than 1,200 children. BCJDC also has a relationship with a local adoles-

cent shelter provider to be its “Reception/ Assessment Center,” instead of sending youth to de-

tention for minor offenses that are frequently mental health or substance abuse related. Police

take youth to the assessment center for mental health/substance abuse screenings and evaluations

to craft treatment plans based on their needs.

The average number of actual juvenile bookings also declined 38 percent, from 5,000 in 1999 to

3,100 in 2003. The recidivism rate fell from 46 percent to 13 percent in 2003. Roughly three-

quarters of currently-detained clients have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and are

being treated, instead of just punished.

The appropriation of $250 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall revert to the

general fund.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

Bernalillo County has a similar program which could help Santa Fe County in the development

and implementation process, and has proven to be successful in reducing the time police officers

spend with juveniles after apprehension.

House Bill 1022-- Page 3

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The DFA and CYFD believe the bill should be amended allowing CYFD to administer the ap-

propriation with existing staff.

QUESTIONS

Could the drop off/assessment center also be used to evaluate juvenile mental health or substance

abuse related issues in addition to evaluating runaways.

AHO/yr