TeamChild attorneys tackle 2 major issues for clients: accountability and inclusion. A true failure of accountability and inclusion at a statewide level is highlighted in last month’s reporting from The Seattle Times and ProPublica about the Northwest School of Innovative Learning (NW SOIL).
TeamChild has been working for over a decade with individual clients, and with systems as a whole, to eliminate the harms the juvenile legal system creates for young people, their families, and communities. Much of this work has focused on post-conviction relief, which means helping a young person who has been through the legal system reconnect to a productive, inclusive, and supportive environment after that contact with court and incarceration.
There are two significant prosecuting attorney races happening in Washington state this November 8th, one in King County and one in Spokane County. For many voters, and especially young people, it may be difficult to meaningfully participate in this election because it’s hard to understand what the job of a prosecutor is all about.
We hope to make an impact for youth in education, stable and safe housing, removing post-conviction burdens and barriers, and reducing the use of incarceration to respond to the needs of young people.
In our July blog, we want to highlight a few of the new laws, that are now in effect, that impact our clients and communities and help everyone prepare for the changes.
TeamChild continues to support Washington State Supreme Court’s rule changes that protect youth from a lifetime of exposure to their juvenile legal cases. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court voted to delay implementation to allow for more discussion about how to implement the new rules.
On May 5, the Washington State Supreme Court delayed implementation of these new rules and referred them back to the Supreme Court Rules Committee to recommend next steps. We urge the Rules Committee to reaffirm these rule changes and set a definite implementation date. These rules are important and necessary steps toward dismantling longstanding inequities in the court system and the detrimental impacts on the lives of youth.
As TeamChild moves into our second year of supporting a policy team, we have given a lot of thought to how we make policy decisions. We work to center our anti-racism principals in all of our decisions, especially policy decisions that are intended to improve the experiences of youth who are impacted by incarceration, court systems, and other oppressive systems.
Many decisions are made each session about young people. We hope TeamChild’s work in the policy realm will align with our mission & values, to center youth in this process.
For TeamChild attorneys, this new law has a positive impact on the options we can provide to clients when they seek legal assistance to stabilize their living situation.
1225 South Weller St, Suite 420
Seattle, WA 98144
TeamChild is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Federal Tax ID# 91-1930194
