The presiding judge of each judicial circuit may appoint one or more community response teams to assist judges by recommending viable community-based interventions for children alleged to be delinquent and children alleged to be in need of supervision. Each team appointed must include the court services officer in the jurisdiction where the team is to operate, a representative of a public school district in which the team is to operate, and designees of the secretaries of the Departments of Social Services and Corrections. Each team may include one or more representatives of the public. The Unified Judicial System shall maintain a record of the membership of each team and report nonidentifying data to the oversight council. The team may operate telephonically or through electronic communications.

The records prepared or maintained by the team are confidential. However, the records may be inspected by, or disclosed to, justices, judges, magistrates, and employees of the Unified Judicial System in the course of their duties; the attorney for the child and child’s parents, guardian, or other custodian; the state’s attorney prosecuting the case; and to any person specifically authorized by order of the court. The record of the team may only be released to a third party upon good cause shown to the satisfaction of the court that the release is necessary and the information contained in the record is not available elsewhere.

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Source: SL 2015, ch 152, § 14, eff. Jan. 1, 2016; SL 2023, ch 87, § 2.