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ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1901
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State of Washington 52nd Legislature 1991 Regular Session
By House Committee on Judiciary (originally sponsored by Representatives Appelwick, Padden, Tate, Ludwig, R. Meyers, Riley, Forner, Inslee, Paris, H. Myers, Vance, Broback, D. Sommers, Holland, Rasmussen, Brough, Dorn, Wang, Winsley, Wynne, McLean, Wood, Moyer and Rayburn).
Read first time March 5, 1991.
AN ACT Relating to juvenile justice; creating new sections; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A juvenile issues task force is created to review the operation of the 1977 Juvenile Justice Act, the Family Reconciliation Act, the 1990 "at-risk" youth legislation, and to study related issues. The task force is charged with issuing a report and making recommendations to the legislature by December 15, 1991.
The task force shall consist of the following members:
(1) Three co-chairs, one from the state senate appointed by the president of the senate; one from the state house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and one appointed by the governor from among the members of the task force named in subsection (3) of this section.
(2) Eight legislators in addition to the two legislative cochairs selected under subsection (1) of this section, two each from the majority and minority caucuses of the senate and two each from the majority and minority caucuses of the house of representatives.
(3) The governor shall appoint the following members of the task force:
(a) Three superior court judges;
(b) Two prosecuting attorneys;
(c) Two juvenile public defenders;
(d) The secretary of social and health services or the secretary's designee;
(e) Two juvenile court administrators;
(f) One police chief or county sheriff;
(g) One child psychologist;
(h) One child psychiatrist;
(i) Two directors of a youth organization;
(j) One person from the Washington council on crime and delinquency;
(k) One person from a parents' organization;
(l) One person from a crisis residential center;
(m) One juvenile court caseworker;
(n) One representative of the executive branch;
(o) One member of the mental health treatment community; and
(p) One member from the substance abuse treatment community.
The department of social and health services shall fund the task force in an amount sufficient to meet its mission. The task force shall be staffed, to the extent possible, by staff available from the membership of the task force.
The governor shall ensure that the racial diversity of the task force membership appointed by the governor reflects the racial diversity of juveniles served under the Family Reconciliation Act, the 1977 Juvenile Justice Act, and the 1990 "at-risk" youth legislation.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The department of social and health services, in cooperation with the commission on African American affairs, shall contract for an independent study of racial disproportionality in the juvenile justice system. The study shall identify key decision points in the juvenile justice system where race and/or ethnicity-based disproportionality exists in the treatment and incarceration of juvenile offenders. The study shall identify the causes of disproportionality, and propose new policies and procedures to address disproportionality.
The department shall submit the study's preliminary findings and recommendations to the juvenile justice task force established under section 1 of this act by September 13, 1991. The final report shall be submitted to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 1991.
The juvenile justice task force shall utilize the information on disproportionality in developing its report and recommendations to the legislature required under section 1 of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.