Gov. Christine Gregoire announced today that Washington has been selected by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for its national Juvenile Justice Model Systems Protect to promote an effective juvenile justice system. Gov. Gregoire was notified of the award by a phone call from the foundation this afternoon.

Gov. Gregoire said the five-year grant will help improve services in child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

“The MacArthur Foundation recognizes our great strides in reducing juvenile crime and juvenile detention,” Gov. Gregoire said. “This award will take efforts further and enable us to build upon these successes.

“King County Executive Ron Sims, Judge Patricia Clark and their teams are to be applauded for their leadership based on the county’s strong track record for reducing the juvenile detention population and intervention for at-risk youths,” she added. “Foundation representatives based their award decision on a site visit to King County and the county’s record on this issue.”

The governor said this award is an example of local, state and community-based agencies working together for improvement.

Washington State is the fourth and last state to be selected as a site for the program. Pennsylvania, Illinois and Louisiana were previously selected.

Each state has received $5 million to $7.5 million from the foundation.
The Model Systems Project grant provides resources and technical assistance to support models of juvenile justice system reform.

The MacArthur Foundation promotes an effective juvenile justice system linked to relevant agencies, that plays a critical role in the community and that is held accountable for public safety and the rehabilitation of young offenders.