PORT ANGELES — Clallam County was awarded $292,849 from the state to support at-risk youth.
County commissioners Tuesday approved the one-year contract with the state Administrative Office of the Courts to assist children at risk of running away and becoming criminals.
Clallam County Juvenile Services Director Pete Peterson said the “Becca Bill” funding supports youths who are having trouble in school or are out of control at home but have yet to enter the court system.
“It’s an intervention step,” Peterson said.
The 1995 Becca Bill was named for 13-year-old Becca Hedman of Tacoma, who was killed in Spokane after running away.
A combination of case load changes and state budget cuts have reduced Becca Bill funding for local jurisdictions. Clallam County’s share has been cut by about $70,000 over the past two years, Peterson said.
“We were able to maintain some of this funding,” he said.
The contract runs from now through June.
Can petition court
Parents can petition the court system to screen youths between 12 and 17 for behaviors that qualify as at risk. If the child is at risk, the county works with the parent to “hopefully correct some of those behaviors,” Peterson said.
“It’s actually a parent-driven program,” he said.
“Typically, risky behavior for a teenager can lead into being in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting into criminal trouble.”
Peterson thanked state Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, for his efforts to sustain prevention programs like Becca.
“He’s a champion of this,” Peterson said.
Peterson also thanked county Commissioner Steve Tharinger, who doubles as a state representative for the 24th District, which covers Clallam and Jefferson counties and the northern portion of Grays Harbor County.
‘Heavy lifting’
Tharinger, D-Sequim, said Hargrove has done the “heavy lifting” in Olympia to sustain prevention programs.
“The savings are in the hundreds of millions of dollars on the corrections side in prevention programs,” Tharinger said.
Tharinger provided Washington State Institute for Public Policy statistics that show how treatment and prevention have reduced incarceration rates while saving taxpayers $1.1 billion in prison costs and $5.1 billion in victim costs each biennium.
Also Tuesday, commissioners approved changes to the six-year transportation improvement program.
“We’re adding three countywide safety projects,” said Rich James, Clallam County transportation program manager.
“One is kind of generic. It includes guardrail, shoulder delineator, edge marker and fixed-object removal, and it can be applied to quite a number of roads.”
The other changes are shoulder- widening and slope-flattening for Kitchen-Dick and Black Diamond roads, and three new segments of the Olympic Discovery Trail west of Lake Crescent.
No public testimony was taken during a public hearing on the updates to the road program.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.