Opinion ID: 2238109
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Violation of Federal Due Process Clause

Text: In its Conclusions of Law, the juvenile court found that minor wards have a right to treatment under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the federal Constitution and that the LCC Law violates this right and requires wards to remain in potentially inappropriate placements thereby delaying treatment. Appellant argues that the case at bar does not involve a denial of a right to treatment. We agree. No allegation was made, nor did the court find, that any of the appellees was denied necessary physical or mental health care or that the conditions of their temporary placements were inadequate in any way. Appellees cite a recent case from the United States Supreme Court for the proposition that when the State takes a person into its custody and holds him there against his will, the Constitution imposes upon it a corresponding duty to assume some responsibility for his safety and general well-being. DeShaney v. Winnebago County Dept. of Social Serv., 489 U.S. 189, 199-200, 109 S.Ct. 998, 1005, 103 L.Ed.2d 249, 261 (1989). The LCC statute does not constitute a violation of this duty, but a legislative device implemented to ensure that the duty is properly fulfilled. A stay in interim housing pending the determination of the best permanent placement of a juvenile ward does not compromise the child's constitutional right to due process.