BILL REQ. #:  S-1965.1 

READ FIRST TIME 03/05/03.   

     AN ACT Relating to juvenile offender sentences; amending RCW 13.40.160; adding new sections to chapter 13.40 RCW; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 13.40.160 and 2002 c 175 s 22 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The standard range disposition for a juvenile adjudicated of an offense is determined according to RCW 13.40.0357.
     (a) When the court sentences an offender to a local sanction as provided in RCW 13.40.0357 option A, the court shall impose a determinate disposition within the standard ranges, except as provided in subsections (2), (3), ((and)) (4), (5), and (6) of this section. The disposition may be comprised of one or more local sanctions.
     (b) When the court sentences an offender to a standard range as provided in RCW 13.40.0357 option A that includes a term of confinement exceeding thirty days, commitment shall be to the department for the standard range of confinement, except as provided in subsections (2), (3), ((and)) (4), (5), and (6) of this section.
     (2) If the court concludes, and enters reasons for its conclusion, that disposition within the standard range would effectuate a manifest injustice the court shall impose a disposition outside the standard range, as indicated in option C of RCW 13.40.0357. The court's finding of manifest injustice shall be supported by clear and convincing evidence.
     A disposition outside the standard range shall be determinate and shall be comprised of confinement or community supervision, or a combination thereof. When a judge finds a manifest injustice and imposes a sentence of confinement exceeding thirty days, the court shall sentence the juvenile to a maximum term, and the provisions of RCW 13.40.030(2) shall be used to determine the range. A disposition outside the standard range is appealable under RCW 13.40.230 by the state or the respondent. A disposition within the standard range is not appealable under RCW 13.40.230.
     (3) When a juvenile offender is found to have committed a sex offense, other than a sex offense that is also a serious violent offense as defined by RCW 9.94A.030, and has no history of a prior sex offense, the court, on its own motion or the motion of the state or the respondent, may order an examination to determine whether the respondent is amenable to treatment.
     The report of the examination shall include at a minimum the following: The respondent's version of the facts and the official version of the facts, the respondent's offense history, an assessment of problems in addition to alleged deviant behaviors, the respondent's social, educational, and employment situation, and other evaluation measures used. The report shall set forth the sources of the evaluator's information.
     The examiner shall assess and report regarding the respondent's amenability to treatment and relative risk to the community. A proposed treatment plan shall be provided and shall include, at a minimum:
     (a)(i) Frequency and type of contact between the offender and therapist;
     (ii) Specific issues to be addressed in the treatment and description of planned treatment modalities;
     (iii) Monitoring plans, including any requirements regarding living conditions, lifestyle requirements, and monitoring by family members, legal guardians, or others;
     (iv) Anticipated length of treatment; and
     (v) Recommended crime-related prohibitions.
     The court on its own motion may order, or on a motion by the state shall order, a second examination regarding the offender's amenability to treatment. The evaluator shall be selected by the party making the motion. The defendant shall pay the cost of any second examination ordered unless the court finds the defendant to be indigent in which case the state shall pay the cost.
     After receipt of reports of the examination, the court shall then consider whether the offender and the community will benefit from use of this special sex offender disposition alternative and consider the victim's opinion whether the offender should receive a treatment disposition under this section. If the court determines that this special sex offender disposition alternative is appropriate, then the court shall impose a determinate disposition within the standard range for the offense, or if the court concludes, and enters reasons for its conclusions, that such disposition would cause a manifest injustice, the court shall impose a disposition under option ((C)) D, and the court may suspend the execution of the disposition and place the offender on community supervision for at least two years. As a condition of the suspended disposition, the court may impose the conditions of community supervision and other conditions, including up to thirty days of confinement and requirements that the offender do any one or more of the following:
     (b)(i) Devote time to a specific education, employment, or occupation;
     (ii) Undergo available outpatient sex offender treatment for up to two years, or inpatient sex offender treatment not to exceed the standard range of confinement for that offense. A community mental health center may not be used for such treatment unless it has an appropriate program designed for sex offender treatment. The respondent shall not change sex offender treatment providers or treatment conditions without first notifying the prosecutor, the probation counselor, and the court, and shall not change providers without court approval after a hearing if the prosecutor or probation counselor object to the change;
     (iii) Remain within prescribed geographical boundaries and notify the court or the probation counselor prior to any change in the offender's address, educational program, or employment;
     (iv) Report to the prosecutor and the probation counselor prior to any change in a sex offender treatment provider. This change shall have prior approval by the court;
     (v) Report as directed to the court and a probation counselor;
     (vi) Pay all court-ordered legal financial obligations, perform community restitution, or any combination thereof;
     (vii) Make restitution to the victim for the cost of any counseling reasonably related to the offense;
     (viii) Comply with the conditions of any court-ordered probation bond; or
     (ix) The court shall order that the offender may not attend the public or approved private elementary, middle, or high school attended by the victim or the victim's siblings. The parents or legal guardians of the offender are responsible for transportation or other costs associated with the offender's change of school that would otherwise be paid by the school district. The court shall send notice of the disposition and restriction on attending the same school as the victim or victim's siblings to the public or approved private school the juvenile will attend, if known, or if unknown, to the approved private schools and the public school district board of directors of the district in which the juvenile resides or intends to reside. This notice must be sent at the earliest possible date but not later than ten calendar days after entry of the disposition.
     The sex offender treatment provider shall submit quarterly reports on the respondent's progress in treatment to the court and the parties. The reports shall reference the treatment plan and include at a minimum the following: Dates of attendance, respondent's compliance with requirements, treatment activities, the respondent's relative progress in treatment, and any other material specified by the court at the time of the disposition.
     At the time of the disposition, the court may set treatment review hearings as the court considers appropriate.
     Except as provided in this subsection (3), after July 1, 1991, examinations and treatment ordered pursuant to this subsection shall only be conducted by sex offender treatment providers certified by the department of health pursuant to chapter 18.155 RCW. A sex offender therapist who examines or treats a juvenile sex offender pursuant to this subsection does not have to be certified by the department of health pursuant to chapter 18.155 RCW if the court finds that: (A) The offender has already moved to another state or plans to move to another state for reasons other than circumventing the certification requirements; (B) no certified providers are available for treatment within a reasonable geographical distance of the offender's home; and (C) the evaluation and treatment plan comply with this subsection (3) and the rules adopted by the department of health.
     If the offender violates any condition of the disposition or the court finds that the respondent is failing to make satisfactory progress in treatment, the court may revoke the suspension and order execution of the disposition or the court may impose a penalty of up to thirty days' confinement for violating conditions of the disposition. The court may order both execution of the disposition and up to thirty days' confinement for the violation of the conditions of the disposition. The court shall give credit for any confinement time previously served if that confinement was for the offense for which the suspension is being revoked.
     For purposes of this section, "victim" means any person who has sustained emotional, psychological, physical, or financial injury to person or property as a direct result of the crime charged. "Victim" may also include a known parent or guardian of a victim who is a minor child unless the parent or guardian is the perpetrator of the offense.
     A disposition entered under this subsection (3) is not appealable under RCW 13.40.230.
     (4) If the juvenile offender is subject to a standard range disposition of local sanctions or 15 to 36 weeks of confinement and has not committed an A- or B+ offense, the court may impose the disposition alternative under RCW 13.40.165.
     (5) If a juvenile is subject to a standard range disposition of local sanctions or 52 to 65 weeks of confinement or less, the court may impose the disposition alternative under section 2 of this act.
     (6) When the offender is subject to a standard range commitment of 15 to 36 weeks or less and is ineligible for a suspended disposition alternative, a manifest injustice disposition below the standard range, special sex offender disposition alternative, chemical dependency disposition alternative, or mental health disposition alternative, the court may impose the disposition alternative under section 3 of this act.
     (7) RCW 13.40.193 shall govern the disposition of any juvenile adjudicated of possessing a firearm in violation of RCW 9.41.040(1)(b)(iii) or any crime in which a special finding is entered that the juvenile was armed with a firearm.
     (((6))) (8) Whenever a juvenile offender is entitled to credit for time spent in detention prior to a dispositional order, the dispositional order shall specifically state the number of days of credit for time served.
     (((7))) (9) Except as provided under subsection (3) ((or)), (4), (5), or (6) of this section or RCW 13.40.127, the court shall not suspend or defer the imposition or the execution of the disposition.
     (((8))) (10) In no case shall the term of confinement imposed by the court at disposition exceed that to which an adult could be subjected for the same offense.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 13.40 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) When an offender is subject to a local sanction or a standard range disposition of 52 to 65 weeks or less, the court may:
     (a) Impose the standard range; or
     (b)(i) After finding a manifest injustice, impose a determinate disposition of not more than 52 weeks; and
     (ii) Suspend the standard range or manifest injustice disposition on condition that the offender complies with the terms of this mental health disposition alternative.
     (2) The court may impose this disposition alternative when the court finds the following:
     (a) The offender has a current diagnosis, consistent with the American psychiatry association diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders IV, of axis I or II psychiatric disorder, excluding youth that are diagnosed as solely having a conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, paraphilia, or pedophilia;
     (b) An appropriate treatment option is available in the local community;
     (c) The plan for the offender identifies and addresses requirements for successful participation and completion of the treatment intervention program including: Incentives and graduated sanctions designed specifically for amenable youth, including the use of detention, detoxication, and in-patient or outpatient substance abuse treatment and psychiatric hospitalization, and structured community support consisting of mental health providers, probation, educational and vocational advocates, child welfare services, and family and community support; and
     (d) The offender, offender's family, and community will benefit from use of the mental health disposition alternative.
     (3) The court on its own motion may order, or on motion by the state, shall order a comprehensive mental health evaluation to determine if the offender has a designated mental disorder. The court may also order a chemical dependency evaluation to determine if the offender also has a co-occurring chemical dependency disorder. The evaluation shall include at a minimum the following: The offender's version of the facts and the official version of the facts, the offender's offense, an assessment of the offender's mental health and drug-alcohol problems and previous treatment attempts, and the offender's social, criminal, educational, and employment history and living situation.
     (4) The evaluator shall determine if the offender is amenable to research-based treatment. A proposed case management and treatment plan shall include at a minimum:
     (a) The availability of treatment;
     (b) Anticipated length of treatment;
     (c) Whether one or more treatment interventions are proposed and the anticipated sequence of those treatment interventions;
     (d) The education plan;
     (e) The residential plan; and
     (f) The monitoring plan.
     (5) The court on its own motion may order, or on motion by the state, shall order a second mental health or chemical dependency evaluation. The party making the motion shall select the evaluator. The requesting party shall pay the cost of any examination ordered under this subsection and subsection (3) of this section unless the court finds the offender is indigent and no third party insurance coverage is available, in which case the state shall pay the cost.
     (6) Upon receipt of the assessments, evaluations, and reports the court shall consider whether the offender and the community will benefit from use of the mental health disposition alternative. The court shall consider the victim's opinion whether the offender should receive the option.
     (7) If the court determines that the mental health disposition alternative is appropriate, the court shall impose the standard range or a manifest injustice disposition of not more than 52 weeks, suspend execution of the disposition, and place the offender on community supervision up to one year and impose one or more other local sanctions. Confinement in a secure county detention facility, other than county group homes and substance abuse programs, shall be limited to thirty days. As a condition of a suspended disposition, the court shall require the offender to participate in the recommended treatment interventions.
     (8) The treatment providers shall submit monthly reports to the court and parties on the offender's progress in treatment. The report shall reference the treatment plan and include at a minimum the following: Dates of attendance, offender's compliance with requirements, treatment activities, medication management, the offender's relative progress in treatment, and any other material specified by the court at the time of the disposition.
     (9) If the offender fails to comply with the suspended disposition, the court may impose sanctions pursuant to RCW 13.40.200 or may revoke the suspended disposition and order the disposition's execution.
     (10) An offender is ineligible for the suspended disposition option under this section if the offender is adjudicated of a sex or violent offense as defined in RCW 9.94A.030.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 13.40 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) When the offender is subject to a standard range commitment of 15 to 36 weeks or less and is ineligible for a suspended disposition alternative, a manifest injustice disposition below the standard range, special sex offender disposition alternative, chemical dependency disposition alternative, or mental health disposition alternative, the court may impose a community commitment disposition alternative and:
     (a) Retain juvenile court jurisdiction over the youth;
     (b) Confine the youth in a county detention facility:
     (i) For the standard range; or
     (ii) After finding a manifest injustice, a determinate disposition up to 52 weeks; and
     (c) Impose a term of postrelease community supervision for up to one year.
     If the youth receives a standard range disposition, the court shall set the release date within the standard range. The court shall determine the release date prior to expiration of sixty percent of the juvenile's minimum term of confinement.
     (2) The court may impose this community commitment disposition alternative if the court finds the following:
     (a) Placement in a local detention facility in close proximity to the youth's family or local support systems will facilitate a smoother reintegration to the youth's family and community;
     (b) Placement in the local detention facility will allow the youth to benefit from locally provided family intervention programs and other research-based treatment programs, school, employment, and drug and alcohol or mental health counseling; or
     (c) Confinement in a facility operated by the department would result in a negative disruption to local services, school, or employment or impede or delay developing those services and support systems in the community.
     (3) The court shall consider the youth's offense, prior criminal history, security classification, risk level, and treatment needs and history when determining whether the youth is appropriate for the community commitment disposition alternative. If the court finds that a community commitment disposition alternative is appropriate, the court shall order the youth into secure detention while the details of the reintegration program are developed.
     (4) Upon approval of the treatment and community reintegration plan, the court may order the youth to serve the term of confinement in one or more of the following placements or combination of placements: Secure detention, an alternative to secure detention such as electronic home monitoring, county group care, day or evening reporting, or home detention. The court may order the youth to serve time in detention on weekends or intermittently. At least fifty percent of term of confinement shall be served in secure detention. The court shall set periodic reviews to review the youth's progress in the program.
     (5) If the youth violates the conditions of the community commitment program, the court may impose sanctions under RCW 13.40.200 or modify the terms of the reintegration plan and order the youth to serve all or a portion of the remaining confinement term in secure detention.
     (6) A county may enter into interlocal agreements with other counties to develop joint community commitment programs or to allow one county to send a youth appropriate for this alternative to another county that has a community commitment program.
     (7) Implementation of this alternative is subject to available state funding for the costs of the community commitment program, including costs of detention and community supervision.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   The Washington state institute for public policy shall develop standards for measuring effectiveness of treatment programs under the mental health disposition alternative. The standards shall be developed and presented to the governor and legislature not later than January 1, 2004. The standards shall include methods for measuring success factors following treatment. The standards shall include, but not be limited to, continued use of alcohol or controlled substances, arrests, violations of terms of community supervision, and convictions for subsequent offenses. These standards shall be utilized by the court in determining the continued use of this alternative and the success of treatment providers and programs.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   (1) A task force is created for the purpose of examining the coordination of information, education services, and matters of public safety when juvenile offenders are placed into public schools, following their conviction.
     (2) The task force shall be chaired by the superintendent of public instruction and include a representative from the juvenile rehabilitation administration of the department of social and health services, the state board of education, associations which represent school teachers, administrators and school boards, superior court judges, the Washington association of juvenile court administrators, prosecuting attorneys, the governor, attorneys whose practice includes criminal defense work for juvenile defendants, three groups whose primary purpose is the delivery of services to families and children, and law enforcement. The three persons from those groups who deliver services shall be selected by the superintendent of public instruction.
     (3) The task force shall identify specific policies and statutory, administrative, and practice processes and barriers that may operate to impede: (a) The identification and delivery of appropriate and coordinated services to juvenile offenders who are placed in, or returned to, public schools following conviction of an offense; and (b) transmittal of information regarding juvenile offenders who are returned to, or placed in, public schools following conviction of an offense. The task force shall recommend specific statutory and administrative changes as it finds appropriate to eliminate or reduce the barriers identified as a result of this subsection.
     (4) The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor, the legislature, and the agencies represented on the task force not later than December 1, 2003.
     (5) This section expires December 31, 2003.