Three years ago Rep. Goodman paved a new, smarter, more effective path to justice in our state’s system. He passed a bill, HB 1775, that legalized the use of restorative justice. Restorative justice is a theory of justice that repairs the harm caused by an offender’s behavior through a cooperative processes that includes both the victim and the offender.
This year, Rep. Goodman is expanding on that success with a new proposal, HB 1505 that will allow judges the discretion to apply restorative justice in all juvenile cases except for sex offenses or violent offenses.
Restorative justice doesn’t just work in the juvenile justice system. It has been in news lately in school discipline. Read this recent Seattle Times article to learn more.
HB 1505 has had a public hearing in the Early Learning and Human Services Committee and is waiting to be voted out.