About
The PCJJ Legislative Committee is hosting an Advancing Priorities presentation series featuring presenters invited to provide education on active policy efforts aligned with Council priorities. The Advancing Priorities Series seeks to enhance shared understanding of priority issues, provide educational policy-specific convening spaces, and deepen relationships with partners. Meetings are open to the public and the PCJJ welcomes participation from its system and community partners.
Upcoming
The Advancing Priorities series will not be hosting webinars during the legislative session.
Past Presentations
Featured Presenters:
- Katie Hurley, King County Department of Public Defense
- Stephanie Budrus, DCYF Juvenile Rehabilitation
- Keri-Anne Jetzer, Sentencing Guidelines Commission
The future of Washington's juvenile justice system is being written right now. Don't miss this crucial webinar where we dive deep into significant legislative changes on the horizon. We will be breaking down potential 2026 sentencing reform legislation and DCYF-Juvenile Rehabilitation (JR) agency requests that will impact juvenile sentencing in WA. Plus, gain keen insight into these possible sentencing reforms directly from a representative of Washington’s Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
Materials:
Presentation Recording
Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission Slides
King County Department of Public Defense Slides: Individualized Justice for Youth
Department of Children Youth and Families Slides: Relevant Agency Request Legislation & Decision Packages
Featured Presenters:
- Katie Hurley, King County Department of Public Defense
- Christine Simonsmeier and Linnea Anderson, Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators
- Richard Mendel, The Sentencing Project
Description: How are young people sentenced in Washington State? How does Washington’s approach compare to others across the country? What are the impacts of incarceration on youth, and what alternatives do we have? This session will feature a panel of experts who will answer these questions and more. For those learning about Washington’s juvenile legal system and experts seeking a deeper understanding, this timely presentation will provide essential context and up-to-date education as Washington continues to grapple with possible sentencing reforms.
Sentencing alternatives were a top priority identified by the Partnership Council in its most recent Biennial Report to the Governor and Legislature. The Partnership Council recommended expanding eligibility for the Chemical Dependency/Mental Health and Special Sex Offender Disposition Alternatives, expanding funding for the Suspended Disposition Alternative, and re-evaluating and modernizing the juvenile sentencing structure. The Partnership Council also followed and submitted testimony on 2025 SB 5296, which would have expanded access to disposition alternatives and created local and community-based alternatives to Juvenile Rehabilitation commitment for certain youth. SB 5296 did not pass during the 2025 legislative session.
Materials:
Presentation Recording
King County Department of Public Defense Slides: Youth Sentencing in Washington Juvenile Courts
The Sentencing Project Slides: Why Youth Incarceration Fails and What it Means for Washington State
Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators (WAJCA) Slides: Disposition Alternatives for Youth
Featured Presenter: Washington State Minority & Justice Commission Youth Justice Committee
This presentation by the Minority and Justice Commission's Youth Justice Committee covers their recently published Statewide Youth Diversion Report. As the state begins to implement improvements to diversion data collection, this timely report delivers a centralized resource for understanding the state of diversion programming in Washington State and identifying opportunities for equitable expansion.
Diversion was among the top priorities that the Partnership Council identified in its most recent Biennial Report to the Governor and Legislature. The Council recommended policy changes to expand availability of and access to diversion. Correspondingly, the Council also recently supported successful diversion legislation (2025 HB 1391).
Materials:
Diversion Presentation Recording
Diversion Presentation Slides
Priority Topics
The Legislative Committee is pursuing and scheduling presenters on the following topics:
An Advocate's Guide to Using the Arrest Dashboard and Court Dashboard
The Partnership Council and Office of Juvenile Justice partner with the Washington State Center for Court Research to maintain interactive data dashboards that compare juvenile justice system data across jurisdictions, demographic groups, and over time. The dashboards include data on arrests, referrals, cases, adjudications, and formal diversions; and will be expanded to include detention admission and victim profile data in late 2025. In its most recent Action Plan, the Partnership Council’s Racial and Ethnic Disparities Committee committed to providing dashboard user trainings to community-based organizations, empowering them to use data to raise awareness and advocate for youth through data-informed storytelling.
Eliminating the use of large institutional facilities as the setting for treatment and rehabilitation for youth in Juvenile Rehabilitation was among the top priorities that the Partnership Council identified in its most recent Biennial Report to the Governor and Legislature. The Partnership Council recommended creating a collaborative plan to transition to smaller and more therapeutic facilities. Advancing this effort supports the Partnership Council’s commitment to amplifying the priorities of our youth and young adult partners in JR.
In its most recent Biennial Report to the Governor and Legislature, the Partnership Council recommended several actions to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline while strengthening the career-to-cradle pathway. Among the Council’s recommendations were elimination of exclusionary school discipline (such as suspension and expulsion) and a redesign of disciplinary guidelines. Establishing and expanding the use of restorative justice practices in school discipline is a priority shared by the Council and many of its youth and community partners.
At the direction of the Washington State Legislature, the Partnership Council recently published a report on the Treatment & Protection of Juvenile Records. The Council is committed to advancing the recommendations in this report. This effort is closely connected to core principles and beliefs of the Partnership Council. Protecting juvenile records so that youth have fair and full access to move forward and thrive is critical to upholding these principles.
At the direction of the Washington State Legislature, the Partnership Council recently published a report with recommendations to establish a State-Funded Community Compensation Program that could replace juvenile court-ordered restitution as a more equitable and complete mechanism for victims' compensation. The Partnership Council is committed to advancing support and restoration for victims. The Council believes that expanded victims’ compensation could mitigate inequities by addressing the financial cost of victimization so that the parties on either side of an act of harm can focus on more meaningful accountability and healing.
The Legislative Committee invites suggestions for additional topics and presenters. Please contact Office of Juvenile Justice staff with ideas for the Committee to consider.
