S-1130               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 3499

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Senator Warnke

Read first time 1/31/85 and referred to Committee on Judiciary.

AN ACT Relating to juvenile sex offenders' treatment; creating new sections; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The problem of sexual assault is wide-spread and well known to the public today.  While victims of sexual assault and the adult offender have available services from both the public and private sector, the child or adolescent who commits sexual offenses often does not have resources available locally for treatment.

          While it is now recognized that adolescents do commit sexual offenses, a new population is coming the attention of the professional community.  This consists of a group of children seven to nine years old who have themselves been victims of sexual abuse and are now exhibiting sexually aggressive behavior at home and in the neighborhood.  Some of these youngsters have received counseling for their victimization, but in many their victimization has not been dealt with in counseling.  This latter group tends to come to the attention of professionals only when they are aggressive against other children.

          Because of the increasing need for treatment programs for juvenile sexual offenders, the legislature hereby authorizes a pilot project to establish a satellite clinic of the University of Washington's juvenile sexual offender program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1) The department of social and health services shall contract with the juvenile sexual offender program at the University of Washington for a pilot project to establish a satellite clinic in a community agency in south King county.

          (2) This pilot project shall use the established juvenile sexual offender program procedures of the University of Washington sexual offender program.

          (3) The pilot project shall:

          (a) Provide an assessment and treatment resource in the local area for children aged six to eighteen years who have been sexually abused and who are currently exhibiting sexually aggressive behavior toward younger children, peers, or adults;

          (b) Provide treatment, including family therapy and group therapy, so that the youth can be retained in the community;

          (c) Provide training in evaluation and treatment to mental health professionals in community-based agencies; and

          (d) Develop an assessment and treatment model for young children that other agencies in the state can replicate, and provide a preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment in reducing sexually aggressive behavior at an early age.

          (4) This section shall expire June 30, 1987.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The department of social and health services shall report to the legislature in January 1988, regarding the effectiveness of the pilot project and make recommendations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The sum of one hundred seventy-five thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1987, from the general fund to the department of social and health services for the purposes of this act.