NCJ Number
122936
Date Published
1987
Length
49 pages
Annotation
The prosecuting attorney's office of Pierce County (Wash.) developed a demonstration project to improve the response of the criminal justice system and child abuse agencies to child sexual assault committed by juvenile offenders.
Abstract
The project was conducted from July 1985 through June 1987 and was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The goals were to increase interagency cooperation and communication through the use of interagency agreements and multidisciplinary training, improving service delivery so that victims and their families would experience less trauma in their interactions with agencies, increase prosecution of offenders, and enhance community-based treatment programs for offenders. To accomplish these goals, a Juvenile Sexual Assault Unit was established in the prosecuting attorney's office and provided with a staff of 3.5 persons. Project outcomes have included increased reporting of juvenile sex offenses, more thorough investigations of juvenile sex offenses, improved case tracking, increased prosecution, and increased numbers of offenders receiving education and treatment. Figures, appended forms, and procedural information.