H-3024.2 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2328
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State of Washington 53rd Legislature 1994 Regular Session
By Representatives L. Johnson, Long, Morris, Conway, Karahalios, Dunshee, Valle, Wineberry, Talcott, Caver, Kessler, Quall, Jones, Pruitt, H. Myers and Anderson
Read first time 01/14/94. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to juvenile offenders; adding new sections to chapter 28A.190 RCW; and creating new sections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that juvenile crimes are increasing significantly and at disproportionate rates in virtually every county in Washington regardless of size or location. The increasingly serious nature of the crimes these young offenders are committing is resulting in a growing number of juvenile offenders being committed for longer sentences in our juvenile institutions.
The legislature intends that, while young offenders are in the custody of the department of social and health services, additional measures should be used to successfully rehabilitate these young offenders and provide them with the opportunity and give them the responsibility to become useful and productive members of the community.
The legislature recognizes that prevocational and vocational education programs offered in juvenile institutions can provide juvenile offenders with marketable work ethics and job skills, and that the corresponding increase in self-esteem could facilitate their successful reintegration into the community. In addition, meaningful juvenile institution work programs can promote the development of job readiness and lower the cost of incarceration by producing products and services needed within the juvenile institutional system.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.190 RCW to read as follows:
When providing educational programs for residential schools, pursuant to RCW 28A.190.030, prevocational and vocational training shall be provided by school districts as a regular part of the teaching curriculum to residents in the following schools: Echo Glen children's center, Green Hill school, Maple Lane school, Mission Creek Youth Camp, and Naselle Youth Camp. Work-based learning opportunities, consisting of live work, shall be offered in conjunction with the prevocational and vocational juvenile rehabilitation education curriculum program in all of the above institutions.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28A.190 RCW to read as follows:
The secretary of the department of social and health services, in conjunction with local school districts, may develop vocational and prevocational training programs and work-based learning programs in accordance with section 2 of this act, with private sector organizations, including but not limited to trade unions, trade associations, and with appropriate governmental agencies.
All funds gained by the work-based learning programs shall be deposited in a separate department of social and health services fund and used by the department of social and health services to offset the cost of developing and implementing the prevocational, vocational, and work-based learning programs.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The department of social and health services shall review the progress of the juvenile offender prevocational and vocational training program and report to the legislature by December 12, 1995. The report shall also include an assessment of the impact of expanding prevocational and vocational training to other juvenile residential facilities and an action plan for the vocational training program expansion.
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