{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-600.010","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 600.010","heading":"Title and intent of KRS Chapters 600 to 645.","body":"(1) KRS Chapters 600 to 645 shall be known as the Kentucky Unified Juvenile Code.\n(2) KRS Chapters 600 to 645 shall be interpreted to effectuate the following express\nlegislative purposes:\n(a) The Commonwealth shall direct its efforts to promoting protection o f\nchildren; to the strengthening and encouragement of family life for the\nprotection and care of children; to strengthening and maintaining the\nbiological family unit; to ensuring that policies and practices utilized are\nsupported by data and research and are monitored or measured for their\neffectiveness in achieving the intended results; and to offering all available\nresources to any family in need of them;\n(b) It also shall be declared to be the policy of this Commonwealth that:\n1. All efforts shall be di rected toward providing each child a safe and\nnurturing home;\n2. Emphasis shall be placed on involving families in interventions\ndeveloped for youth, providing families with access to services\nnecessary to address issues within the family, and increasing\naccountability of the youth and families within the juvenile justice\nsystem;\n3. To the extent possible, out -of-home placement should only be utilized\nfor youth who are high -risk or high -level offenders, and that low -risk,\nlow-level offenders should be serve d through evidence -based\nprogramming in their community; and\n4. As the population in Department of Juvenile Justice facilities is reduced\nthrough increased use of community -based treatment, and if staffing\nratios can be maintained at the levels required by  accreditation bodies,\nreductions of the number of facilities should be considered;\n(c) The court shall show that other less restrictive alternatives have been\nattempted or are not feasible in order to insure that children are not removed\nfrom families except when absolutely necessary;\n(d) Any child brought before the court under KRS Chapters 600 to 645 shall have\na right to treatment reasonably calculated, through the use of evidence -based\nprograms when available, to bring about an improvement of his or he r\ncondition and, to the extent possible, have that treatment administered in the\ncounty of residence of the custodial parent or parents or in the nearest\navailable county;\n(e) KRS Chapter 635 shall be interpreted to promote the best interests of the child\nthrough providing treatment and sanctions to reduce recidivism and assist in\nmaking the child a productive citizen by involving the family, as appropriate,\nand by advancing the principles of personal responsibility, accountability, and\nreformation, while m aintaining public safety, and seeking restitution and\nreparation;\n(f) KRS Chapter 640 shall be interpreted to promote public safety and the\nconcept that every child be held accountable for his or her conduct through the\nuse of restitution, reparation, and sanctions, in an effort to rehabilitate\ndelinquent youth; and\n(g) It shall further be the policy of this Commonwealth to provide judicial\nprocedures in which rights and interests of all parties, including the parents\nand victims, are recognized and all parties are assured prompt and fair\nhearings. Unless otherwise provid ed, such protections belong to the child\nindividually and may not be waived by any other party.","path":["KRS Chapter 600"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=43498","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:06Z","sha256":"163dae74c47604658d6846bb3988f2185f67b5a8d03ddb5762880272702d92bb","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-6.990","next":"us-ky/krs-600.020"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}