Title 14 — Title 14 — Children

cost thereof. Appeal; right generally; transcript provided; (a) Any party including the state may appeal any final order, judgment or decree of the juvenile court to the supreme court within the time and in the manner provided by the Wyoming Rules of Appellate Procedure. (b) Upon…

Stay of orders pending appeal; securing of payment; staying transfer of legal custody. (a) If an appeal is taken, an order to pay a fine, costs, support for a child, restitution or any order for the payment of money may be stayed by the juvenile court or by the supreme court pend…

Fees, costs and expenses. (a) There is no fee for filing a petition under this act nor shall any state, county or local law enforcement officer charge a fee for service of process under this act. Witness fees, juror fees and travel expenses in the amounts allowable by law may be …

Proceedings deemed in equity. All proceedings under this act shall be regarded as proceedings in equity and the court shall have and exercise equitable jurisdiction.

Records and reports confidential; inspection. (a) Throughout proceedings pursuant to this act the court shall safeguard the records from disclosure. Upon completion of the proceedings, whether or not there is an adjudication, the court shall order the entire file, except for chil…

Liability for contempt; penalties. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the court upon its own motion or upon the motion of the district or county attorney, or guardian ad litem, may find that the child, the child's parent, parents, or guardian or any other person who will…

Separate docket for juvenile cases; availability of records for statistics. The clerk of the court shall maintain a separate docket for cases under this act and record therein the case number, the allegations of the petition, the age of the child involved and the disposition made…

Expungement of records in juvenile court. Any person adjudicated in need of supervision under the provisions of this act may petition the court for the expungement of his record in the juvenile court upon reaching the age of majority. If after investigation the court finds that t…

(a) Definitions. As used in this act: (i) "Delinquent act" means any act defined by W.S. 14-6-201(a)(ix) which constitutes a felony; (ii) "Victim" means an individual who has suffered direct or threatened physical, emotional or financial harm as the result of the commission of a …

(a) "This act" means W.S. 14-6-501 through Victim bill of rights. Victims shall have the following rights: (i) To be provided notification and information about events affecting the status of the case. These events shall include, but are not limited to, the following as specified…

Rights of victims to be informed during the delinquency proceeding. (a) Victims of a delinquent act shall be informed without undue delay by law enforcement about: (i) The rights enumerated in this act; (ii) The right to be informed of the status of the case from the initial inve…

Victims; free from intimidation. (a) A victim has the right to be free from any form of harassment, intimidation or retribution. (b) When waiting to testify in any proceeding regarding a delinquent act, a victim has the right to be provided, upon request, with a waiting area sepa…

Victims of delinquent act; present in court. Unless the court for good cause shown shall find to the contrary, the victim shall have the right to be present at all proceedings which may be attended by the accused delinquent.

Victims; timing of proceedings. (a) The court shall consider the victim's interest and circumstances when setting any date for the adjudicatory or disposition hearing or in granting or denying continuances. (b) Nothing in this section shall infringe upon any rights of the accused…

Prompt return of property. (a) Victims have the right to have any personal property, which is not contraband, promptly returned provided it does not interfere with prosecution or appellate review of the case. (b) Law enforcement agencies shall work together to expedite the return…

employment. Victims have a right to preservation of (a) A victim who responds to a subpoena in a delinquency proceeding during working hours shall not suffer any change in terms of employment solely because of the act of responding to a subpoena. (b) A victim, upon request, shall…

No civil liability created; testimony inadmissible; no relief by appeal. (a) Nothing in this act shall be construed to create any civil cause of action for monetary damages against any person nor shall it constitute grounds for any claim or motion raised by any party in any proce…

(a) Definitions. As used in this act: (i) "Adjudicated" or "adjudication" means as defined by W.S. 14-6-201(a)(i); (ii) "Adult" means an individual who has attained the age of majority; (iii) 6-201(a)(x); "Delinquent child" means as defined by W.S. 14- (iv) "Disposition" means th…

"This act" means W.S. 14-6-601 through 14-6-606. Record system created. (a) The department shall create and maintain a database for a juvenile justice information system as provided in this act. (b) The database shall contain the information required by this act. Access to inform…

Collection of juvenile justice information. (a) In any case in which a juvenile is convicted or is adjudicated a delinquent child for the commission of a qualifying offense or a criminal act, the court shall direct that, to the extent possible, the following information be collec…

Access to and dissemination of information. (a) Information contained in the juvenile justice information system shall be accessible, whether directly or through an intermediary, to: (i) Other criminal justice agencies, including the division of criminal investigation; (ii) Any p…

Inspection of information. An individual, his parents and guardian have the right to inspect all juvenile justice record information located within this state which refers to that individual in accordance with W.S. 7-19-109.

Standardization of juvenile justice information. (a) The department shall facilitate the standardization, identification, sharing and coordination of juvenile justice information collected and provided to the department and disseminated by the department as required by this act. …

Short title; purpose. (a) This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Wyoming Indian Child Welfare Act." (b) The purpose of this act is to codify the federal Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 into state law.

(a) Definitions. As used in this act: (i) "Child custody proceeding" means any action concerning the custody or care of an Indian child, including a shelter care placement, the termination of parental rights, preadoptive placement or adoptive placement. "Child custody proceeding"…

Indian tribe jurisdiction over Indian child custody proceedings. (a) An Indian tribe shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any child custody proceeding involving an Indian child who resides or is domiciled within the reservation of the tribe, except where jurisdiction is vested …

Pending court proceedings. (a) In any involuntary proceeding in a state court where the court knows or has reason to know that an Indian child is involved, the party seeking the shelter care placement of, or termination of parental rights to, an Indian child shall notify the pare…

[Repealed or reserved.]

Petition to court of competent jurisdiction to invalidate actions upon certain violations. Any Indian child who is the subject of any action for shelter care placement or termination of parental rights under state law, any parent or Indian custodian from whose custody the child w…

Placement of Indian children. (a) In any adoptive placement of an Indian child under state law, and absent good cause to the contrary, preference shall be given to a placement with, in the following order: (i) A member of the Indian child's extended family; (ii) Other members of …

Return of custody. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when a final decree of adoption of an Indian child has been vacated or set aside, or the adoptive parents voluntarily consent to the termination of their parental rights to the child, a biological parent or prior …

Tribal affiliation information; other information of protection of rights from tribal relationships; application of subject of adoptive placement; disclosure by court. Upon application by an Indian person who has reached age eighteen (18) and who was the subject of an adoption, t…

Agreements between the state and Indian tribes. (a) The state, through the governor and in consultation with the department of family services, is authorized to enter into agreements with Indian tribes concerning the care and custody of Indian children and jurisdiction over child…

Improper removal of Indian child from custody; declination of jurisdiction; return of child; exception. If any petitioner in an Indian child custody proceeding before a state court has improperly removed the child from custody of the parent or Indian custodian or has improperly r…

Application of higher federal standard. In any case where federal law applicable to an Indian child custody proceeding provides a higher standard of protection to the rights of the parent or Indian custodian than state law provides, the court shall apply the higher standard of pr…

Emergency removal or placement of child; termination; appropriate action. Nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent the emergency removal of an Indian child who is a resident of or is domiciled on a reservation, but temporarily located off the reservation, from his parent…

Reporting requirements; information availability; disclosure. (a) Any state court entering a final decree or order in any adoption proceeding concerning an Indian child shall provide the department of family services and the United States secretary of the interior a copy of the d…

Rulemaking; sunset. (a) The department of family services shall promulgate all rules necessary to implement this act. (b) Repealed By Laws 2026, ch. 57, § 1.