41-5-355. Excessive juvenile population -- confinement of juveniles in alternate placements. (1) The department shall determine the capacity for state youth correctional facilities. The department shall notify all district courts, sheriffs, and youth courts of the capacity for each state youth correctional facility by sending a report to each annually.

(2) If the population of a state youth correctional facility exceeds the capacity established by the department, the director of the department may declare that the capacity has been exceeded and temporarily stop admissions to the facility. The director shall notify each district court, sheriff, and youth court that delinquent or criminally convicted youth will not be accepted by the department for admission into the facility until the population is reduced to less than the capacity determined by the department in subsection (1).

(3) If the director of the department declares that the capacity has been exceeded, the department shall place delinquent youth committed to a state youth correctional facility or criminally convicted youth in alternate placements based on the needs of the delinquent youth or criminally convicted youth. If a youth is denied placement in a state youth correctional facility under this section, the department shall inform and seek approval of the district court of the intended alternative placement prior to placing the youth.

(4) The department may enter into contracts with the federal government, other states, local governments, public or private corporations, and other entities that have suitable facilities for confining delinquent youth or criminally convicted youth committed to the department, either because a state youth correctional facility has exceeded its capacity or because the department has no youth correctional facility that is adequate for certain delinquent youth or criminally convicted youth.