{"data":{"id":"us-wa/rcw-13.40.042","jurisdiction":"us-wa","citation":"RCW 13.40.042","heading":"Detention of juvenile suffering from mental disorder or substance use disorder.","body":"(1) When a police officer has reasonable cause to believe that a juvenile has committed acts constituting a nonfelony crime that is not a serious offense as identified in RCW 10.77.665, and the officer believes that the juvenile suffers from a mental disorder, and the local prosecutor has entered into an agreement with law enforcement regarding the detention of juveniles who may have a mental disorder or may be suffering from chemical dependency, the arresting officer, instead of taking the juvenile to the local juvenile detention facility, may take the juvenile to:\n(a) An evaluation and treatment facility as defined in RCW 71.34.020 if the juvenile suffers from a mental disorder and the facility has been identified as an alternative location by agreement of the prosecutor, law enforcement, and the mental health provider;\n(b) A facility or program identified by agreement of the prosecutor and law enforcement; or\n(c) A location already identified and in use by law enforcement for the purpose of a behavioral health diversion.\n(2) For the purposes of this section, an \"alternative location\" means a facility or program that has the capacity to evaluate a youth and, if determined to be appropriate, develop a behavioral health intervention plan and initiate treatment.\n(3) If a juvenile is taken to any location described in subsection (1)(a) or (b) of this section, the juvenile may be held for up to twelve hours and must be examined by a mental health or substance use disorder professional within three hours of arrival.\n(4) The authority provided pursuant to this section is in addition to existing authority under RCW 10.31.110 and * 10.31.120.","path":["Title 13","Chapter 13.40"],"source_url":"https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=13.40.042","current_through":"July 15, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T01:03:04Z","sha256":"01703087fa035fc5966eb9d068ffa21415ce9e49b088f4817f2d198c554ef06a","source_id":"us-wa","stale":false,"prev":"us-wa/rcw-13.40.040","next":"us-wa/rcw-13.40.043"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}