Testimony by Clark County Commissioner Dave Sturdevant -- Presented to House Committee on Education and Labor, March 9, 1992

• NCJ Number: 136977
• Author(s): D Sturdevant
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 3 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Clark County took advantage of a unique opportunity in 1990 when the Washington State Legislature authorized the Criminal Justice Act; this act provides financial assistance to cities and counties to fund their criminal justice systems.

Abstract

Clark County decided to use this opportunity to take a fresh look at problems affecting young people and to begin a 3-year project called the Special Intervention Program (SIP). In developing the program, the focus was on specific areas of concern: increasing rate of serious crimes being committed by juveniles; growing problem of gang activity and gang-related crimes; increased drug abuse by youth; and disproportionate use of criminal justice resources for adults instead of youth. The goal of SIP is to reach at-risk youth, specifically to keep first-time offenders from breaking the law again and keep them from growing up to be adult offenders. An effort has been made through SIP to increase cooperation among juvenile justice providers, social services agencies, public education, and law enforcement.