§49-5-16a Rules governing juvenile facilities. - West Virginia Statutes

§49-5-16a. Rules governing juvenile facilities.
The director of the division of juvenile services within the department of military affairs and public safety shall propose legislative rules for promulgation in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, outlining policies and procedures governing the operation of those correctional, detention, predispositional detention centers and other facilities wherein juveniles may be housed. These policies and procedures shall include, but are not limited to, standards of cleanliness, temperature and lighting; availability of medical and dental care; provision of food, furnishings, clothing and toilet articles; supervision; procedures for enforcing rules of conduct consistent with due process of law; and visitation privileges. A juvenile in custody or detention has, at a minimum, the following rights, and the policies prescribed shall ensure that:

(1) A juvenile may not be punished by physical force, deprivation of nutritious meals, deprivation of family visits or imposition of solitary confinement;

(2) A juvenile shall be afforded an opportunity to participate in physical exercise each day;

(3) Except for sleeping hours, a juvenile in a state facility may not be locked alone in a room unless that juvenile is not amenable to reasonable direction and control;

(4) A juvenile shall be provided with his or her own clothing or individualized clothing which is clean and supplied by the facility, and shall also be afforded daily access to showers;

(5) A juvenile shall be afforded constant access to writing materials and may send mail without limitation, censorship or prior reading, and may receive mail without prior reading, except that mail may be opened in the juvenile's presence, without being read, to inspect for contraband;

(6) A juvenile may make and receive regular local phone calls without charge and long distance calls to his or her family without charge at least once a week, and receive visitors daily and on a regular basis;

(7) A juvenile shall be afforded immediate access to medical care as needed;

(8) A juvenile in a juvenile detention facility or juvenile corrections facility shall be provided access to education, including teaching, educational materials and books;

(9) A juvenile shall be afforded reasonable access to an attorney upon request; and

(10) A juvenile shall be afforded a grievance procedure, including an appeal mechanism.

Upon admission to a detention facility or juvenile corrections facility, a juvenile shall be furnished with a copy of the rights provided him or her by virtue of this section and as further prescribed by rules proposed and promulgated pursuant to this section.