Opinion ID: 1057858
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Juvenile Post-Commitment Procedures Act

Text: With this procedural background in mind, we now address the propriety of the verbal directive by the juvenile court placing the Petitioner under house arrest as a condition of his release. The State concedes error on the merits of the issue. The Juvenile Post-Commitment Procedures Act (the Act) was enacted by the General Assembly in 1978. See Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 37-1-301 to -322 (2005). The Act provides similar protections to juveniles as are provided to adult petitioners under the Post-Conviction Procedures Act. See Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 40-30-101 to -313. (2006). Under the Act, [a] juvenile in the custody of the department of children's services pursuant to a commitment by a juvenile court of this state may petition for post-commitment relief. Tenn.Code Ann. § 37-1-302 (2005). A petitioner is entitled to relief when [his or her] commitment is void or voidable because of the abridgement in any way of any right guaranteed by the laws or constitution of this state, or the Constitution of the United States. Tenn.Code Ann. § 37-1-305 (2005). This includes a right that was not recognized as existing at the time of the trial if either constitution requires retrospective application of that right. Id. If the court finds that there was such a denial or infringement of the constitutional or statutory rights of the juvenile so as to render the commitment void or voidable, the court shall vacate and set aside the judgment. . . . Tenn.Code Ann. § 37-1-317(a) (2005). The Appendix to the Tennessee Rules of Juvenile Procedure incorporates the requirements for a valid court order in section 31.303(f)(3) of Title 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Section 31.303(f)(3) provides that: For the purpose of determining whether a valid court order exists and a juvenile has been found to be in violation of that valid order all of the following conditions must be present prior to secure incarceration: (i) The juvenile must have been brought into a court of competent jurisdiction and made subject to an order issued pursuant to proper authority. The order must be one which regulates future conduct of the juvenile. Prior to issuance of the order, the juvenile must have received the full due process rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. (ii) The court must have entered a judgment and/or remedy in accord with established legal principles based on the facts after a hearing which observes proper procedures. (iii) The juvenile in question must have received adequate and fair warning of the consequences of violation of the order at the time it was issued and such warning must be provided to the juvenile and to the juvenile's attorney and/or to legal guardian in writing and be reflected in the court record and proceedings. Tenn. R. Juv. P. Appendix (2007) (quoting 28 C.F.R. § 31.303(f)(3)(i)-(iii) (2005) (emphasis added)). Similarly, the statutory code defines a valid court order as one that is authorized by law. Tenn.Code Ann. § 37-1-102(b)(6) (2005). Here, the juvenile court's oral directive regarding house arrest did not satisfy these requirements. Because the verbal order of house arrest was never reduced to writing yet served as the single basis for the probation violation, the commitment to the Department of Children's Services was invalid. A juvenile must receive adequate and fair warning, in writing, of the consequences of violating an order of the court. Tenn. R. Juv. P. Appendix; see 28 C.F.R. § 31.303(f)(3)(iii) (2005). The statutory requirements for the entry of a valid court order are mandatory. See 13 Am.Jur.2d Statutes § 13 (2007). The juvenile court  must have entered a judgment and/or remedy in accord with established legal principles based on the facts after a hearing which observes proper procedures. 28 C.F.R. § 31.303(f)(3)(ii) (emphasis added). The juvenile  must have received adequate and fair warning of the consequences of violation of the order at the time it was issued and such warning must be provided to the juvenile . . . in writing and be reflected in the court record and proceedings. Id. § 31.303(f)(3)(iii) (emphasis added). These provisions provide no authority for the substitution of an oral directive for a valid court order. See Tenn.Code Ann. § 37-1-102(b)(6) (2005). A juvenile is entitled to post-commitment relief when an order of commitment is void or voidable because of the abridgement in any way of any right guaranteed by the laws or constitution of this state. . . . Tenn.Code Ann. § 37-1-305 (2005). While the requirement of a written order is statutorily based, the entitlement to adequate and fair notice is also a hallmark of the law of the land and due process clauses of the Tennessee and United States Constitutions. U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1; Tenn. Const. art. I, § 8; see also State v. Pickett, 211 S.W.3d 696, 702 (Tenn.2007). In short, the Petitioner qualifies for relief on statutory grounds under the Juvenile Post-Commitment Procedures Act. Tenn.Code Ann. § 37-1-317(a) (2005).