SOCIAL SERVICES, CRIMES AND OFFENSES Children and Youth Services: Create Felony Offense of Aiding or Harboring an Escaped Child and Felony Offense for Providing Contraband to a Child Under the Department\u27s Custody; Crimes Against the Person: Include Department of Children and Youth Services Employees Within Definition of Correctional Officer Thereby Increasing Penalties for Aggravated Assault and Aggravated Battery Against Known Employees

The Act changes the crimes of aiding, assisting, or encouraging a child to escape from the custody of the Department of Children and Youth Services (Department), harboring or sheltering an escaped youth, and hindering the apprehension of an escaped youth from misdemeanors to felonies. It creates the new crime of providing certain illegal and harmful contraband to a child under the custody of the Department and makes it a felony. The Act provides the possession of illegal and harmful contraband by a child in the custody of the Department shall cause the Department to file a delinquency petition and that such possession will be a felony if the youth is seventeen years of age or older. The Act increases the minimum penalties for aggravated assault and aggravated battery on persons known to be employees of the Department by expanding the definition of the term correctional officer to include known employees of the Department or those Department employees who have given reasonable identification of their employment