H-2551.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1968

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By House Committee on Children & Family Services (originally sponsored by Representatives Wolfe, Gombosky, Tokuda, Kastama, Blalock, Gardner, Cooke, Cole and Anderson)

Read first time 03/05/97.

Prohibiting juvenile offenders from being placed in contact with nonoffenders in residential facilities.

    AN ACT Relating to commitment placements for juvenile offenders; amending RCW 13.40.460; and creating a new section.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 13.40.460 and 1994 sp.s. c 7 s 516 are each amended to read as follows:

    The secretary, assistant secretary, or the secretary's designee shall manage and administer the department's juvenile rehabilitation responsibilities, including but not limited to the operation of all state institutions or facilities used for juvenile rehabilitation.

    The secretary or assistant secretary shall:

    (1) Prepare a biennial budget request sufficient to meet the confinement and rehabilitative needs of the juvenile rehabilitation program, as forecast by the office of financial management;

    (2) Create by rule a formal system for inmate classification.  This classification system shall consider:

    (a) Public safety;

    (b) Internal security and staff safety; and

    (c) Rehabilitative resources both within and outside the department;

    (3) Develop agreements with local jurisdictions to develop regional facilities with a variety of custody levels;

    (4) Adopt rules establishing effective disciplinary policies to maintain order within institutions;

    (5) Develop a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation process to be used at intake, including but not limited to evaluation for substance addiction or abuse, literacy, learning disabilities, fetal alcohol syndrome or effect, attention deficit disorder, and mental health;

    (6) Ensure no juvenile offender on parole status will be placed in a community residential program where the juvenile may come in contact with a child found dependent under chapter 13.34 RCW or an at-risk youth or child in need of services under chapter 13.32A RCW;

(7) Develop a plan to implement, by July 1, 1995:

    (a) Substance abuse treatment programs for all state juvenile rehabilitation facilities and institutions;

    (b) Vocational education and instruction programs at all state juvenile rehabilitation facilities and institutions; and

    (c) An educational program to establish self-worth and responsibility in juvenile offenders.  This educational program shall emphasize instruction in character-building principles such as:  Respect for self, others, and authority; victim awareness; accountability; work ethics; good citizenship; and life skills; and

    (((7))) (8) Study, in conjunction with the superintendent of public instruction, educators, and superintendents of state facilities for juvenile offenders, the feasibility and value of consolidating within a single entity the provision of educational services to juvenile offenders committed to state facilities.  The assistant secretary shall report his or her findings to the legislature by December 1, 1995.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The department shall provide for an orderly transfer of funds and responsibilities from the division of children and family services to the division of juvenile rehabilitation.  The division of juvenile rehabilitation shall assume responsibilities under this section no later than March 1, 1998.  Any disputes between the division of children and family services and the division of juvenile rehabilitation regarding the transfer of funds and responsibilities under this section shall be resolved by the secretary of the department of social and health services.

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