S-3757.1  _______________________________________________

                    SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8018

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1998 Regular Session

By Senators Haugen, McCaslin, McAuliffe, Long, Goings, Winsley, Rasmussen, Wood, Oke and T. Sheldon

Read first time 01/14/98.  Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

Urging Congress to establish a nationwide database to track juvenile convictions.

    TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, Juvenile crime continues to be a major public safety concern; and

    WHEREAS, Juvenile criminal records are statistically reliable indicators of potential recidivism; and

    WHEREAS, Law enforcement agencies and juvenile justice system administrators need reliable and relevant data regarding juvenile offenders; and

    WHEREAS, There is no national system for obtaining juvenile criminal records; and

    WHEREAS, Juveniles have become increasingly mobile and less likely to remain in one state;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the National Crime Information Center establish a data base into which juvenile convictions may be entered; that only juvenile convictions and no other data, such as "social" files, be included in the data base; that every state be required to contribute to the data base; and that only law enforcement agencies and juvenile justice system administrators be allowed access to the records to aid in decisions regarding risk factors and placement of juvenile offenders.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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