To establish a Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Yap State, to provide structured, secure, and rehabilitative services to juvenile offenders, and for other purposes.

11-141
Proposed by:
11th Legislature, 3rd Regular Session 2025

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Yap.

Section 1.

Title.

This Act shall be referred to as the “Yap State Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Center.”

Section 2.

Purpose.

The purpose of this act is to:

(a) Establish a Juvenile detention Center to provide a safe, secure, and rehabilitate area for delinquents;

(b) Ensure that juveniles who are in conflict with the law receive appropriate care, rehabilitation, and education, with the goal of reintegration into society as productive citizens; and

(c) Provide an alternative to disciplinary measures by focusing on rehabilitation, restorative justice and the development of pro-social behaviors.

Section 3.

Definitions.

Unless the context otherwise requires, as used herein:

(a) “Juvenile” means a person under the age of 18 who has been formally judged as having committed a delinquent act;

(b) “Detention Center” means a facility designated for the temporary custody of juveniles who have been charged with criminal offenses and are awaiting trial or serving a sentence;

(c) “Rehabilitation” means programs or plans designed specifically to assist in changing for the better juveniles and juvenile delinquents’ negative behavior and actions; and

(d) “Restorative Justice” a reconciliation and medication process that involves the juvenile, their family, the victim and the community in seeking appropriate measures to restore relationship and harmony within the community damaged by the juvenile’s actions.

Section 4.

Juvenile Detention Center.

There is hereby established a Juvenile Detention Center, with facilities to be designed and the locations designated by the Governor.

(a) Facility Design: The Detention center shall be designed to meet international standards for juvenile detention facilities including:

(b) Adequate space for housing juveniles in separate age-appropriate and gender-segregated facilities.

(c) Education facilities to provide juveniles detainees with access to formal education and vocational training.

(d) Counseling and mental health services to address emotional and psychological needs.

(e) Recreational and physical fitness programs to promote overall well-being.

(f) The center shall be staffed with appropriate personnel:

(1) Juvenile correction officers.

(2) Educators and Counselors.

(3) Medical and mental health professionals.

Section 5.

Admission and Classification.

A Juvenile may be admitted to the detention center if:

(a) Juvenile is charged with a criminal offense and has been remanded by a court.

(b) The juvenile is awaiting trial, sentencing or placement in a long-term facility.

(c) Upon admission, juveniles shall be classed based on age, gender, offense and risk assessment and shall be placed in an appropriate unit.

Section 6.

Rehabilitation Programs.

The Juvenile detention center shall have in-house or access to social programs, which include but are not limited to:

(a) Juveniles shall have access to formal education, including primary, secondary, and vocational training.

(b) Juveniles shall receive counseling services to address behavioral, emotional and psychological issues, including drug or alcohol dependency, trauma and anger management.

(c) Programs shall be designed to teach juveniles skills such as conflict resolution, decision making and responsibility, preparing them for reintegration into society.

(d) Restorative Justice Program: The center will facilitate such programs, where juveniles are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and repair harm caused to victims and the community.

Section 7.

Monitoring and Evaluation.

[To read more of the Bill, please click the PDF below.]

Progress of the Legislation

No further information available.

Assigned to Committee

Government, Health & Welfare Committee

Bill Introduced

11-141
Date introduced: 30 April 2025.

Download the original version of the bill that was introduced to the legislature. This downloadable PDF always takes precedence over the text description of the bill on this page.