Missouri § 211.021 - Definitions.

§ 211.021. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following terms shall mean:

(1)  "Adult", a person eighteen years of age or older;

(2)  "Child", any person under eighteen years of age;

(3)  "Juvenile court", the juvenile division or divisions of the circuit court of the county, or judges while hearing juvenile cases assigned to them;

(4)  "Juvenile detention facility", a place for the temporary care of a juvenile in judicial custody in a proceeding under subdivision (2) or (3) of subsection 1 of section 211.031 and includes a place that is physically confining, but does not include a jail or other adult detention facility unless the juvenile is eighteen years of age or older or unless the juvenile detention facility is operated, administered, and staffed separately and independently of a jail or other adult detention facility and used exclusively for the lawful custody and treatment of juveniles.  A juvenile detention facility may be located in the same building or grounds as a jail or other adult detention facility if there is spatial separation between the facilities which prevents haphazard or accidental contact between juvenile and adult detainees; there is separation between juvenile and adult program activities; and there are separate juvenile and adult staff other than specialized support staff who have infrequent contact with detainees.  The facility may be owned or operated by public or private agencies;

(5)  "Legal custody", the right to the care, custody and control of a child and the duty to provide food, clothing, shelter, ordinary medical care, education, treatment and discipline of a child.  Legal custody may be taken from a parent only by court action and if the legal custody is taken from a parent without termination of parental rights, the parent's duty to provide support continues even though the person having legal custody may provide the necessities of daily living;

(6)  "Parent", either a natural parent or a parent by adoption and if the child is illegitimate, "parent" means the mother;

(7)  "Shelter care", the temporary care of juveniles in physically unrestricting facilities pending final court disposition.  These facilities may include:

(a)  "Foster home", the private home of foster parents providing twenty-four-hour care to one to three children unrelated to the foster parents by blood, marriage or adoption;

(b)  "Group foster home", the private home of foster parents providing twenty-four-hour care to no more than six children unrelated to the foster parents by blood, marriage or adoption;

(c)  "Group home", a child care facility which approximates a family setting, provides access to community activities and resources, and provides care to no more than twelve children.

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(L. 1957 p. 642 § 211.020, A.L. 1978 H.B. 1634, A.L. 1982 S.B. 497, A.L. 2008 H.B. 1550, A.L. 2018 S.B. 793 merged with S.B. 800, A.L. 2026 S.B. 888, A.L. 2026 H.B. 2637 & 3155)

Revisor's note: This section was amended by both S.B. 888 and H.B. 2637 & 3155, 2026. H.B. 2637 & 3155 repealed the version amended by S.B. 888 effective 8-28-26.

Severability clause, see § 1.1005

---- end of effective  28 Aug 2026 ----

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