211.021. Definitions. - Missouri Statutes

Definitions.

211.021. *1. As used in this chapter, unless the context clearlyrequires otherwise:

(1) "Adult" means a person seventeen years of age or older except forseventeen-year-old children as defined in this section;

(2) "Child" means any person under seventeen years of age and shallmean, in addition, any person over seventeen but not yet eighteen years of agealleged to have committed a status offense;

(3) "Juvenile court" means the juvenile division or divisions of thecircuit court of the county, or judges while hearing juvenile cases assignedto them;

(4) "Legal custody" means the right to the care, custody and control ofa child and the duty to provide food, clothing, shelter, ordinary medicalcare, education, treatment and discipline of a child. Legal custody may betaken from a parent only by court action and if the legal custody is takenfrom a parent without termination of parental rights, the parent's duty toprovide support continues even though the person having legal custody mayprovide the necessities of daily living;

(5) "Parent" means either a natural parent or a parent by adoption andif the child is illegitimate, "parent" means the mother;

(6) "Shelter care" means the temporary care of juveniles in physicallyunrestricting facilities pending final court disposition. These facilitiesmay include:

(a) "Foster home", the private home of foster parents providingtwenty-four-hour care to one to three children unrelated to the foster parentsby blood, marriage or adoption;

(b) "Group foster home", the private home of foster parents providingtwenty-four-hour care to no more than six children unrelated to the fosterparents by blood, marriage or adoption;

(c) "Group home", a child care facility which approximates a familysetting, provides access to community activities and resources, and providescare to no more than twelve children;

(7) "Status offense", any offense as described in subdivision (2) ofsubsection 1 of section 211.031.

2. The amendments to subsection 1 of this section, as provided for inthis act**, shall not take effect until such time as appropriations by thegeneral assembly for additional juvenile officer full-time equivalents anddeputy juvenile officer full-time equivalents shall exceed by one million ninehundred thousand dollars the amount spent by the state for such officers infiscal year 2007 and appropriations by the general assembly to single firstclass counties for juvenile court personnel costs shall exceed by one millionnine hundred thousand dollars the amount spent by the state for such juvenilecourt personnel costs in fiscal year 2007 and notice of such appropriationshas been given to the revisor of statutes.

(L. 1957 p. 642 § 211.020, A.L. 1978 H.B. 1634, A.L. 1982 S.B. 497, A.L. 2008 H.B. 1550)

*Contingent effective date.

**"This act" (H.B. 1550, 2008) contained numerous sections. Consult Disposition of Sections table for a definitive listing.