Court Investigation Unit
Members of the Court Investigation Unit conduct investigations concerning youth who are detained for serious offenses, warrants, or charged by the prosecutor for criminal behavior.
Probation Officers appear at detention hearings to advise the court if a youth is a threat to community safety, likely not to appear for court, or suggest other legal reasons that may require continued detention including electronic monitoring. Probation Officers may also recommend a youth's release home on court ordered conditions.
If a youth pleads guilty to a charge in Juvenile Court, the Probation Officer conducts a social investigation in the areas of current living arrangements and family history, social skills and attitudes, school, drug and alcohol use, mental health, use of free time, aggression and employment history.
A pre-screen Risk Assessment is completed by the Probation Officer on every youth scheduled to appear before the court for disposition. At the disposition (sentencing) hearing, a recommendation is made to the Judge that may include Community Supervision up to 12 months, up to 150 hours of community service work, maximum of 30 days detention, and up to a $500.00 fine. In the event a youth has an extensive criminal history or the offense is very serious, the youth may be committed to Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration until age 21.
Following disposition of the case, most youth are assigned to the Community Supervision Unit based on the Risk Assessment score, which designates a youth low, moderate, or high risk to re-offend.
If a youth is alleged to have committed a serious offense, Probation Officers in this unit have the responsibility to investigate and evaluate a youth for declination (transfer to the adult court) versus remaining in Juvenile Court concerning the allegations. Most youth remain in Juvenile Court with the exception of those individuals who;
- allegedly have committed a very serious offense,
- have an extensive past history of services through the Juvenile Department, or
- are living an adult lifestyle.
The exception to this process is RCW 13.04.030 that requires a 16 or 17 year old youth be “automatically’ declined and transferred to adult court based on specific offenses outlined in the statute. The Prosecutor must find sufficient probable cause before a transfer can occur. Examples of offenses that require automatic declination include Murder, Robbery and Assault in the First Degree, and First Degree Kidnapping, First Degree Rape, and First Degree Burglary.