WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

E-newsletter: Using brain science in juvenile justice policy and other news from Olympia

Keeping up with increased needs in child welfare

This week, the House passed HB 2008, a bill I sponsored to stabilize child welfare services.

From 2010 to 2016, calls made to child protective services (CPS) increased 42%. Most of the blame for the increase is due to the current opioid crisis that is ripping through every corner of our state. We are working on addressing the opioid epidemic with bills like HB 2489, but we also need to address the increased workload in other areas, like CPS.

The way our current budget process works, even when there are increasing numbers of calls to CPS, the funding remains the same. The funding for the extra workload ends up coming out of other areas and making it hard to provide consistent services to our most vulnerable children. This is not how it works for other, similar services like adult protective services.

HB 2008 will change the way our budget process works so that the services we provide to children are driven by the need.


Juvenile justice bills pass out of committee

This week, the committee I chair, Early Learning and Human Services, passed out two progressive bills that rethink how we treat young people who get caught up in the juvenile justice system.

Both of these bills recognize that there are significant problems with the way our current justice system handles young people. The latest research on brain development has shown that the brain doesn’t fully develop until age 25. As many of you who have raised children will understand, young adults simply lack the same rational decision-making that adults over 25 have developed.

Instead of pushing juveniles into the revolving door of the adult criminal justice system, these bills move toward setting young people up for success as adults. Young people can still be held accountable for their actions, but instead of being sent into the adult detention system, they will serve their term in the juvenile justice system which provides rehabilitation services.

House Bill 2895 – Under current law, there are certain crimes that automatically send an accused juvenile directly to adult court. While the most egregious crimes will still result in a juvenile being sent to adult court, this bill takes a step in the right direction by putting four of these crimes into juvenile court jurisdiction.

House Bill 2907 – Juveniles who have been convicted as adults are moved from juvenile to adult detention centers when they turn 21. This bill recognizes that young adults up to age 25 benefit access to the services provided in juvenile detention centers and extends the maximum age for juvenile detention to 25 ½ years old.

Another somewhat related bill that also passed out of committee removes the criminal consequences of child prostitution. House Bill 2857 recognizes that minors who are arrested for the crime of juvenile prostitution are not criminals, but sexually exploited children. Rather than being sent into the justice system, this bill directs law enforcement to help the young person access services.

All of these bills passed out of committee with bipartisan support and I am hopeful that they will continue to move along in the legislative process.


Resources for immigrants and refugees

Many of you have reached out to me to share fears about the safety and security of members of our many immigrant communities. Given recent information that has come to light about the Department of Licensing sharing information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), I am concerned about the state’s policies, which contribute to these fears. I was glad to hear that Governor Inslee appointed a special assistant to look into state agency compliance with ICE.

While legislators are limited in our ability to get involved in federal immigration issues, Governor Inslee has a list of resources for immigrants and refugees around the state and the City of Seattle has a list of resources that can be useful for immigrants and refugees in Seattle and King County. Additionally, you can always contact my office for more information or for assistance navigating state agencies.