A. For the purposes of the Youthful Offender Act:

B. It is the purpose of the Youthful Offender Act to better ensure the public safety by holding youths accountable for the commission of serious crimes, while affording courts methods of rehabilitation for those youths the courts determine, at their discretion, may be amenable to such methods. It is the further purpose of the Youthful Offender Act to allow those youthful offenders whom the courts find to be amenable to rehabilitation by the methods prescribed in the Youthful Offender Act to be placed in the custody or under the supervision of the Office of Juvenile Affairs for the purpose of accessing the rehabilitative programs provided by that Office.

C. It is the intent of the Legislature to fully utilize the Youthful Offender Act as a means to protect the public while rehabilitating and holding youth accountable for serious crimes. The Legislature finds that eligible seventeen-year-olds should have the opportunity to be processed as youthful offenders as provided by law and held accountable through the provisions of the Youthful Offender Act for custody, institutional placement, supervision, extended jurisdiction within the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA), and the ability to transfer youthful offenders to the Department of Corrections when incarceration or additional supervision is required beyond the maximum age allowed in the OJA. No older youth should be deemed ineligible or denied consideration as a youthful offender who is otherwise lawfully eligible based upon the age of the youth being seventeen (17) years, but it is the intent of the Legislature that such youthful offender shall not remain in the custody or under the supervision of the OJA beyond the youthful offender's maximum age of eighteen (18) years and six (6) months or until nineteen (19) years of age if jurisdiction has been extended as provided in subsection D of Section 9 of this act.³ To deny access to an otherwise eligible older youth without cause is to circumvent the original intent of the Legislature in creating the Youthful Offender Act.

D. Unless otherwise provided by law, when a court determines that a youthful offender has successfully completed his or her treatment and rehabilitation plan and is discharged by the court without a court judgment of guilt and the case dismissed with prejudice, the arrest or adjudication record does not have to be disclosed for the purposes of employment, civil rights, or any regulation, license, questionnaire, application, or any other public purpose. Any prohibition regarding possession of firearms pursuant to Section 1283 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes shall still be applicable.

E. In any case for which the court orders a certification study, the district attorney shall provide to the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) a copy of any police report and all other relevant documents or information in the possession of the district attorney or any other law enforcement agency that has reported to the district attorney in the case, which should be considered in preparing the ordered report. The police reports, any report from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and any other relevant documents or information as available, shall be provided to the OJA within five (5) business days of the issuance of the order.

F. In any case for which the court orders a certification study, the attorney for the youth is ordered to provide to OJA the names and contact information of the youth's parents, guardians, or next friend, along with any relevant documents or information the youth requests OJA to consider in the preparation of the ordered report. The names and contact information and any other documents or information shall be provided to OJA within five (5) business days of the issuance of the order.