AN ACT Relating to the community violence prevention and public security act; creating new sections; making an appropriation; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds and declares that recent incidents of violence in the community, including predatory sexual offenses against children, have created intense public awareness of the need to find ways to protect communities from the growing cycle of violence. Since exposure to violence at an early age in life appears to be a significant risk factor for subsequent violent behavior, public health intervention models are more conducive to long-term prevention of violent crime and reduction of recidivism, thereby enhancing community protection.

The legislature acknowledges that criminal justice agencies, charged with capture, adjudication, and postconviction management of criminal offenders, have little if any control over societal patterns and relationships that spawn violence. Therefore, an exclusive reliance on a criminal justice response to violence cannot effectively prevent its occurrence. There is a need for an effective public health intervention strategy that coordinates the criminal justice, mental health, and social services systems. Programs for prevention, intervention, and treatment at the earliest onset of violent or criminal behavior are necessary to curtail the contagious cycle of violence.

(2) The purpose of this act is to interrupt the escalating cycle of violence in selected Washington communities through the establishment of public health intervention strategies in six pilot programs geographically distributed throughout the state in areas of greatest need. These programs shall be coordinated by the secretary of the department of health.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The secretary of health shall develop and administer a public health intervention strategy for coordinating state, county, and community resources, using existing service delivery systems where available, to provide effective intervention at the earliest identifiable levels for treating, modifying, controlling, and preventing violence in six pilot program areas.

(2) The secretary shall incorporate in the prevention strategy public health surveillance systems for tracking morbidity associated with violence, methodologies for precisely identifying groups at risk for violent events, research methods for exploration of potentially modifiable risk factors for injuries and violent behaviors, and a system for rigorously evaluating existing programs that are intended to prevent violence or modify a suspected risk factor.

(3) The secretary shall establish, through a competitive selection process, six pilot programs in communities geographically balanced throughout the state that will assure a sustained commitment towards containing violence, including predatory sexual offenses. Priority in funding decisions shall be given to programs designating a local public health department or public health district as the lead agency. The goals of the pilot programs shall be to:

(a) Provide incentives and support for intervention with families experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, violence in pilot communities;

(b) Coordinate existing programs addressing violence that would otherwise be fragmented, in order to achieve maximum beneficial impact upon families and cost-effective service delivery; and

(c) Preserve existing violence intervention programs that would otherwise be discontinued due to competing priorities in mental health funding.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The programs established by section 3 of this act shall include the participation of local law enforcement agencies, district, municipal, and superior courts, local government, domestic violence and sexual assault victims programs, victims' support programs, other community organizations, schools, and appropriate programs within the department of social and health services, the department of health, the office of superintendent of public instruction, and the department of community development.

(2) Each program shall designate a lead agency or organization, and develop written interagency agreements designed to deliver a coordinated continuum of services that will break escalating cycles of violence and provide protection to the community at large.

(3) Fifteen percent of the funding for programs under this act shall be provided by private or public entities in the communities administering a pilot program. Contributions of materials, supplies, personnel, or physical facilities may be considered as all or part of the funding provided by the communities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Each community violence prevention and intervention program shall provide the community served by the program with at least the following services:

(1) Services to children or other family members who are victims of violence, including counseling, treatment, support groups, support during the criminal prosecution process, and referrals to services to meet immediate needs such as housing.

(2) Services to victims of violent crime, including counseling, treatment, support groups, and support during the criminal prosecution process.

(3) A case management system that assesses the extent and effect of violence on all family members; identifies and secures appropriate intervention services; monitors case progress and reports when appropriate to the courts and to responsible persons in the department of social and health services child protective services office.

(4) Specialized intervention programs, such as anger management or other appropriate treatment, that have demonstrated effectiveness in evaluating and treating perpetrators of violence.

(5) Parenting and care-giver training to families experiencing or at risk of experiencing violence.

(6)Education regarding the prevalence of community violence, indicators of victimization, and mechanisms to prevent violence. Appropriate education shall be provided to the general public, children, and professionals who come into contact with victims of violence or persons committing violent acts.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. (1) Community violence prevention and intervention pilot programs shall have a duration of three years.

(2) Each program proposal shall include a provision for the evaluation of services provided through the program. Each program shall report the results of the evaluation to the department of health on or before October 1, 1992.

(3) On or before December 1, 1992, the department of health shall report the results of the program evaluations to the appropriate committees of the house of representatives and the senate.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The sum of six million six hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the general fund to the department of health for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, to carry out the purposes of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. 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.