Washington
Washington was selected as the fourth Models for Change state for its use of evidence-based interventions with juvenile offenders, its application of program evaluation and cost-benefit analysis techniques to juvenile justice policy-making, and the progress it has made in combating disproportionate minority contact and integrating juvenile justice programs with child welfare and mental health services.
Issues
Models for Change is working to transform the juvenile justice system by focusing on the following three targeted issues in Washington. A more detailed description is available in the Washington Models for Change Work Plan:
- expanding alternatives to formal processing and secure confinement, primarily focusing on status offenders/truant youth
- reducing racial and ethnic disparities
- improving the way the system identifies and responds to youth with mental health needs
In addition to these strategic areas of reform, Models for Change work in Washington is offering technical assistance to support reforms in the following areas:
- enhancing the quality of legal representation in delinquency cases
- improving overall coordination among the youth-serving systems
Local sites and partners
Models for Change work is statewide, but the reform work is focused in several sites: King, Pierce, Spokane, Clark, and Benton-Franklin Counties. Learn more
Work highlights
Examples of reform progress made possible through the support of Models for Change include the following. Read more
Reengaging youth in school and reducing unnecessary detention with truancy laws
Partnering with Benton/Franklin Models for Change, Washington State University Division of Governmental Studies and Services completed a truancy process and resources survey for each "school building" in Benton and Franklin Counties to determine consistency and effectiveness of truancy interventions, from which best-practices can be identified and built upon.
Enhancing the cultural competence of evidence-based treatment programs
Increased African-American Youth’s Functional Family Therapy (FFT) engagement rates from 45% to 83% by creating a specialized FFT caseload with an African-American FFT provider.
Developing mental health screening protocols to reduce unnecessary referrals to juvenile court.
Working with National Youth Screening and Assessment Project (NYSAP), drafted protocols and created a staff training schedule/implementation plan for incorporating standardized mental health screening into the Clark County Truancy Program intake process.
For more information
Washington's Models for Change work is coordinated by Center for Children & Youth Justice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing justice for and enhancing the lives of children and youth through juvenile justice, child welfare, and related systems reform in Washington state. To learn more about Models for Change work in Washington, or how to support juvenile justice reform work in the state, contact Michael Curtis at: MLCurtis@ccyj.org.
Events
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Reform Progress
- Nominate Your Champion for Change!
- Aug 31, 2010, Models for Change
- Latino Leaders Engaged
- Jun 29, 2010, Washington State Models for Change
- Fast Forward Call Center Funded
- Jun 29, 2010, Washington State Models for Change
More Reform Progress Items »
Newsroom
- MH/JJ Action Network State of Texas Awarded One Million Dollar Grant
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9/17/2009
- by The Texas Juvenile Justice TBI Partnership Project
- Locking Up Fewer Children
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8/14/2009
by New York Times
- by Editorial
- Mentally Ill Offenders Strain Juvenile Justice Systems
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8/9/2009
by New York Times
- by Solomon Moore
More News Items »
Publications
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Nominate Your Champion for Change!
- Models for Change is now accepting nominations for the annual Champions…
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Washington State Models for Change Newsletter-July 2010
- Hello from Benton/Franklin Counties Models for Change! We hope this issue…
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Juvenile Justice Bill Tracking Database
- Juvenile Justice Database
Under the National Conference of State…
More publications »
Contacts
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Center for Children & Youth Justice
- (206) 696-7503
More related contacts »