S-3565 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL NO. 6284
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State of Washington 51st Legislature 1990 Regular Session
By Senators Thorsness, Stratton, Metcalf, Bauer, Nelson, Smith, Bluechel, Saling, Owen, Lee, McCaslin, Rasmussen, Bailey, Hayner, Johnson, Benitz, West and Warnke
Read first time 1/10/90 and referred to Committee on Law & Justice.
AN ACT Relating to juvenile sexual offenders; and creating new sections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that juvenile sexual offenders may victimize many children while the offenders are young and that these offenders will continue to offend into adulthood if not treated. To assure that the most effective and cost-efficient treatment is provided to juvenile sexual offenders, the legislature finds that a task force should be appointed to study various treatment methods and programs.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The governor shall appoint a task force to study treatment methods and programs for juvenile sexual offenders. The task force shall consist of at least ten members with a representative from each of the following: The department of corrections, department of social and health services, two private providers of sex offender treatment from different behavioral sciences backgrounds, a prosecuting attorney and a defense attorney who handle juvenile offender cases, a juvenile probation officer, a juvenile court judge, one member of the senate law and justice committee, and one member of the house of representatives judiciary committee.
(2) The task force shall consider at least the following:
(a) The number, ages, and types of juvenile sexual offenders in need of treatment within the state;
(b) The availability of existing treatment;
(c) Whether juvenile sexual offenders should be treated separately from other juvenile offenders;
(d) The costs of inpatient and outpatient treatment and the societal costs of not treating juvenile sexual offenders; and
(e) The types of offenses juvenile sexual offenders are adjudicated for and the adequacy of current criminal statutes and penalties to address the deviant sexual misconduct of juveniles.
(3) The task force shall report its findings to the legislature not later than December 31, 1990.