PAST PROJECTS
Theft3 & Mall Safety Program Evaluation
OVERVIEW
In 2016, the King County Juvenile Justice Equity Steering Committee voted to support a proposal by the King County Department of Public Defense (DPD) to pilot a theft diversion project, later named Theft 3 and Mall Safety (T3AMS). The primary purpose of the pilot was to reduce racial disproportionality in law enforcement referrals to the King County juvenile justice system and to use place-based strategies to de-escalate situations that could result in the arrest of young people at the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila (referred to as Mall Safety). Both the Theft3 and Mall Safety programs were operated out of the Southcenter Mall beginning in April 2017. The University of Washington conducted an analysis to evaluate the impact of the T3AMS program on racial disproportionality in law enforcement referrals for misdemeanor theft in the city of Tukwila and the impact of the program on recidivism rates. The evaluation also assessed whether the program was likely to improve the experience of youth compared to typical processing.
STATUS
SAJE’s evaluation of the T3AMS program was completed in the Summer of 2019 and the report was delivered to the T3AMS Governance Committee.
FUNDING
The T3AMS evaluation was funded by King County, Washington.
Family Intervention & Restorative Services (FIRS) Evaluation
OVERVIEW
King County introduced a new approach to processing juvenile domestic violence incidences in January of 2016. This new approach, known as Family Intervention and Restorative Services (FIRS), establishes an alternative to criminal processing for youth who commit domestic violence related offenses. Per the FIRS paradigm, youth who commit domestic violence related offenses are removed from the home and brought to a respite center (FIRS Center), where they are offered short-term lodging to allow for a de-escalation period between youth and families. Upon entering into the FIRS Center, youth receive a risk/needs assessment, and are in tandem connected with a social worker who immediately develops a network of relevant services for both the youth and their families. All these services occur without charges referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
STATUS
An evaluation of the FIRS Center by SAJE researchers at the University of Washington found that agreement to participate in FIRS was significantly associated with less re-referrals to juvenile court within the subsequent twelve months.
RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS
Walker, S. (2017). Process and Impact Evaluation: Family Intervention and Restorative Services Center (FIRS). Seattle, WA: University of Washington School of Medicine.
