Drafter
Clerk 10/25/2010
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the development, adoption and use of a pretrial risk assessment tool for the adult detention population that will provide a uniform, objective measure of the relevant risk factors for presenting a danger to the community or failing to appear in court; requiring enhanced reporting on the pretrial defendant population and notification of screening criteria for alternatives to secure detention.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
A. The King County department of adult and juvenile detention, through its community corrections division, operates a series of alternatives to incarceration for pretrial defendants unable to post bail and sentenced offenders, including work education release, electronic home detention and day reporting programs through the community center for alternative programs. These alternatives provide the courts with options between jail and release to the community.
B. In order to be eligible to participate in the alternatives to detention provided by the community corrections division, a defendant must be ordered to the program by the court and must be statutorily eligible for the program. Washington state law governs eligibility for post conviction participants. There are currently no uniform eligibility conditions for pretrial defendants.
C. The community corrections division operates the intake services unit. This unit serves the function of a pretrial services program for King County courts, interviewing defendants shortly after arrest to gather information about residence, ties to the community, employment, criminal history and substance abuse and mental health status, and investigating defendants' past criminal history. The unit presents the results of its interviews and investigations to the court at initial appearance or arraignment to aid the courts in reaching a pretrial release decision. There is no uniform tool to objectively assess risk based on these results for the adult popu...
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