Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

High-risk “multi-system” youth vary notably county-to-county

Follow-up study seeks to define differences for better understanding

The percentage of youth who find themselves involved in both the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system varies considerably among Washington counties, leading to interest in the different policies, programs and practices which affect these numbers in each county, according to a new study released by the Washington State Center for Court Research (WSCCR).

Understanding the reasons behind the differences may help juvenile welfare workers design effective methods for helping these young people.

The study is a follow-up to one released in late 2014 showing that nearly half of all young people who find themselves in juvenile court for alleged law-violating behavior also have a history of involvement in the child welfare system. Called “multi-system,” “cross-over,” or “dual status” youth, these young people may be foster children, or members of families being investigated or monitored by child welfare officials. Approximately 44 percent of youth referred to the juvenile justice system in 2010 were at one time part of the child welfare system as well, making it an extremely vulnerable population. The study also found that female youth and youth of color from the child welfare system have a substantially greater risk of finding themselves in the juvenile justice system than comparable white males.

The follow-up study, “Multi-System Youth In Washington State: Prevalence By Jurisdiction,” found that multi-system involvement ranged from a low of 17.5 percent in Adams County to a high of 60.4 percent in Skamania County. The study overview and a county-by-county map can be found at http://www.courts.wa.gov/wsccr/docs/MSY_Paper2_Final.pdf .

“The goal of this report is to expand upon knowledge of patterns of system involvement, and provide more detail on how often vulnerable populations come into contact with systems that have the opportunity to provide prevention and intervention services,” wrote study author Catherine Pickard, WSCCR senior research associate.

Possible next steps for using this information, writes Pickard, would be development of an inventory of available interventions for at-risk youth, building on understanding of how each system responds to the needs of these youth, and working collaboratively to improve timely, appropriate and effective services.

Funded by the Court Improvement Program, future reports in this series will explore the types of offender referrals experienced by multi-system youth, the educational outcomes for this population, and additional analysis of multi-system prevalence across race, ethnicity, gender and age.

The Washington State Center for Court Research was established in 2004 by order of the Washington Supreme Court, and serves as the research arm of the Administrative Office of the Courts. Its research is intended to improve understanding of the courts, help guide judicial policy and improve the functioning of the judicial system while serving all participants in the judicial process.

CONTACT:  Catherine Pickard, Senior Research Associate, Washington State Center for Court Research (WSCCR), (360) 704-4132, Catherine.Pickard@courts.wa.gov ;  Dr. Carl McCurley, Manager, WSCCR, (360) 705-5312, Carl.Mccurley@courts.wa.gov.