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In 1996, Congress amended the federal law that requires states to register sex offenders. These amendments, known as "Megan's Law," authorize the public release of information about registered sex offenders when necessary to protect public safety. This report analyzes the 47 states with Megan’s Laws. These state laws can be divided into three categories, organized principally by the degree of notification: 1) Broad community notification; 2) Notification to individuals and organizations at risk; or 3) Access to registration information. This report also discusses implementation issues, offender harassment, and legal challenges to these laws. A summary of notification programs in other countries is provided.
At the request of the Washington State Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, the Institute for Public Policy conducted an analysis of the recidivism of juvenile offenders placed on community supervision. Youth placed in the following programs were included in this analysis: Option B, SSODA, Probation, and Diversion. The Institute was also asked to assess how the Consolidated Juvenile Services (CJS) funding allocation factors are related to juvenile recidivism. This report includes findings on the recidivism of juveniles in these programs and the potential policy and funding implications.
The 1996 Washington State Legislature appropriated 2.35 million dollars to twelve juvenile courts for early intervention programs to target youth placed on probation for the first time and considered at high risk to reoffend. The goal of these programs is to prevent youth from becoming entrenched in the court system. This report summarizes the assessments of high-risk youth who had been screened for the program as of May 1997. It provides a descriptive portrait of these individuals, their characteristics, and family environments.
The Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention Program is administered through the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development. The program administers a grant using federal and state funds for community-based youth violence prevention and intervention projects across Washington State. For the fiscal years 1994-1996, 2.05 million dollars were spent on these projects; 31 percent was funded by the state and the remainder by the federal government. This report summarizes evaluation results for projects funded from 1994 through 1996.
In 1990, the Washington State Legislature passed the Community Protection Act, a comprehensive set of laws that increased prison terms for sex offenders, established registration and notification laws, authorized funds for treatment of adult and juvenile sex offenders, and provided services for victims of sexual assault. The legislation directed the Institute to evaluate the effectiveness of these state-supported programs. This chartbook contains information selected from this research.
To establish an accurate measure of the costs of supervising offenders sentenced in juvenile court, the Institute conducted a survey of the 33 juvenile courts in Washington. The survey was designed in cooperation with the Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators. This report highlights the findings from this survey, including information on caseloads and average costs of detention facilities and community supervision programs in Washington State.
Community Public Health and Safety Networks were created out of the 1994 Violence Reduction Act. Networks were charged with reducing violence, specifically youth violence, along with seven other "at-risk" behaviors. Fifty-three networks were established and required to submit comprehensive plans to the Family Policy Council. These plans highlighted at least three at-risk behaviors to be targeted for reduction. Following approval of their plans, performance contracts were established that included a statement of work and specific performance measures. As the contracts progress, the state and networks will gain knowledge on the relative effectiveness of approaches. The report contains chosen risk factors, baseline rates, and targeted outcomes for 17 of the networks.
The guidelines established by the Juvenile Justice Act of 1977 determine in large part how juvenile offenders are sentenced in Washington State. This report examines how three primary sentencing factors—a juvenile's crime, criminal history, and age—will affect the chance the juvenile will re-offend as a young adult.
The 1996 Washington State Legislature appropriated $2.35 million to 12 juvenile courts for early intervention programs targeting youth placed on probation for the first time and considered at high risk to re-offend. At the request of the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy evaluated the program. The primary outcome measure is whether there is a reduction in subsequent court adjudications for those youth in the program. The program will be evaluated to determine the level of program success necessary for the state's investment to be cost-effective.
This progress report contains new information on the fiscal costs of the criminal justice system in Washington and how they have changed over the last two decades. The report also discusses work underway at the Institute to assess the costs and benefits of criminal justice strategies.