(1) A person in the custody of the department of children, youth, and families under RCW 72.01.410 is eligible for community transition services under the authority and supervision of the department of children, youth, and families:

(a) After the person's 25th birthday:

(i) If the person's earned release date is after the person's 25th birthday but on or before the person's 26th birthday; and

(ii) The department of children, youth, and families determines that placement in community transition services is in the best interests of the person and the community; or

(b) After 60 percent of their term of confinement has been served, and no less than 15 weeks of total confinement served including time spent in detention prior to sentencing or the entry of a dispositional order if:

(i) The person has an earned release date that is before their 26th birthday; and

(ii) The department of children, youth, and families determines that such placement and retention by the department of children, youth, and families is in the best interests of the person and the community.

(2) "Term of confinement" as used in subsection (1)(b) of this section means the term of confinement ordered, reduced by the total amount of earned time eligible for the offense.

(3) The department's determination under subsection (1)(a)(ii) and (b)(ii) of this section must include consideration of the person's behavior while in confinement and any disciplinary considerations.

(4) The department of children, youth, and families retains the authority to transfer the person to the custody of the department of corrections under RCW 72.01.410.

(5) A person may only be placed in community transition services under this section for the remaining 18 months of their term of confinement.

(6) A person placed in community transition services under this section must have access to appropriate treatment and programming as determined by the department of children, youth, and families, including but not limited to:

(a) Behavioral health treatment;

(b) Independent living;

(c) Employment;

(d) Education;

(e) Connections to family and natural supports; and

(f) Community connections.

(7) If the person has a sentence that includes a term of community custody, this term of community custody must begin after the current term of confinement has ended.

(8) If a person placed on community transition services under this section commits a violation requiring the return of the person to total confinement after the person's 25th birthday, the person must be transferred to the custody and supervision of the department of corrections for the remainder of the sentence.

(9) The following persons are not eligible for community transition services under this section:

(a) Persons with pending charges or warrants;

(b) Persons who will be transferred to the department of corrections, who are in the custody of the department of corrections, or who are under the supervision of the department of corrections;

(c) Persons who were adjudicated or convicted of the crime of murder in the first or second degree;

(d) Persons who meet the definition of a "persistent offender" as defined under RCW 9.94A.030;

(e) Level III sex offenders; and

(f) Persons requiring out-of-state placement.

(10) As used in this section, "community transition services" means a therapeutic and supportive community-based custody option in which:

(a) A person serves a portion of his or her term of confinement residing in the community, outside of the department of children, youth, and families institutions and community facilities;

(b) The department of children, youth, and families supervises the person in part through the use of technology that is capable of determining or identifying the monitored person's presence or absence at a particular location;

(c) The department of children, youth, and families provides access to developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, racial equity-based, and culturally relevant programs to promote successful reentry; and

(d) The department of children, youth, and families prioritizes the delivery of available programming from individuals who share characteristics with the individual being served related to: Race; ethnicity; sexual identity; and gender identity.

Contingent effective date—2023 c 470 s 3018: "Section 3018 of this act takes effect when section 2, chapter 206, Laws of 2021 takes effect." [ 2023 c 470 s 3019.]

Explanatory statement—2023 c 470: See note following RCW 10.99.030.

Contingent effective date—2021 c 206: "(1) Sections 1 through 6, 8, and 9 of this act take effect six months after the department of children, youth, and families designs and implements a risk assessment tool as defined in RCW 13.40.020 used to determine eligibility for "community transition services" as provided under RCW 13.40.205(13) and provides notice as required under subsection (2) of this section.

(2) The department of children, youth, and families must provide notice of the implementation of a risk assessment tool described under subsection (1) of this section to affected parties, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, the secretary of the senate, the office of the code reviser, and others as deemed appropriate by the department of children, youth, and families." [ 2021 c 206 s 11.] Written notice of the effective date of sections 1-6, 8, and 9, chapter 206, Laws of 2021 was provided by the department of children, youth, and families to the office of the code reviser. The start of the six-month period is November 1, 2023, making the effective date for those sections May 1, 2024.

Findings—2021 c 206: "The legislature finds that:

(1) The department of children, youth, and families seeks to expand trauma-informed, culturally relevant, racial equity-based, and developmentally appropriate therapeutic placement supports in less restrictive community settings. Under current law, these supports are limited to placement in community facilities—which are only available for about 25 percent of juvenile rehabilitation's population—and electronic home monitoring for persons serving adult sentences in the custody of the department of children, youth, and families' juvenile rehabilitation who have an earned release date between the ages of 25 and 26.

(2) To help reduce the bottleneck of youth and young adults placed in the department's juvenile rehabilitation institutions and enhance community-based, less restrictive options, this act creates a community transition services program, which utilizes electronic home monitoring as a tool embedded in a progressively supportive community-based approach with therapeutic supports for young people reentering the community. This approach considers developmentally appropriate programs for successful reentry by increasing access to community transition services, including housing assistance, behavioral health treatment, independent living, employment, education, and family and community connections." [ 2021 c 206 s 1.]

Appropriation—Rental vouchers—2021 c 206: "Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the department of children, youth, and families may issue rental vouchers for a period not to exceed six months for those transferring to community transition services under this act if an approved address cannot be obtained without the assistance of a voucher." [ 2021 c 206 s 8.]

Findings—Intent—2019 c 322: See note following RCW 72.01.410.