Matter of Doe

EXUM, Chief Justice.

In this case we consider the judiciary’s power to order the Department of Human Resources, Division of Youth Services (DYS) to give sex offender treatment to an adolescent found delinquent because of sex offenses and subsequently to deny the conditional release of that adolescent because treatment had not been in compliance with that mandate. We conclude that both orders were within the court’s statutory authority.

I

On 9 November 1987, the District Court in Durham County-issued a Juvenile Disposition and Commitment Order, which stated the court’s findings that the juvenile,…