Joint Legislative Committee on Youthful Sex Offenders

PURPOSE:     To: 1) define a category of youthful sex offenders; 2) review county attorney charging practices for youthful sex offenders; 3) review sentencing practices for sex offenders who were minors at the time of the commission of the offense and who were charged as adults; 4) review the current psychological and treatment services for youthful sex offenders, including evidence-based practices concerning psychological and treatment services for youthful sex offenders; 5) review housing policies for youthful sex offenders, including the following: a) explore and identify housing options for youthful sex offenders; b) identify model housing options for transferred youthful sex offenders; and c) identify housing and unification of the family policies; 6) review sex offender notification processes for transferred youth and identify a mechanism for review of sex offender risk assessment; 7) review adult supervision and case management practices and policies; 8) review custodial and independent living programs and residential foster and shelter care and after-care programs for youthful sex offenders; 9) identify funding sources for programs relating to transferred youthful sex offenders; 10) identify appropriate risk and needs assessment tools and consider that assessment results be applied to all aspects of case processing; and 11) make recommendations concerning laws, rules or procedures that are necessary to improve the prosecution of, treatment for, housing for, familial unification of and community notification regarding youthful sex offenders.  The Committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on or before December 31, 2006 and provide a copy of this report to the Secretary of State and the Director of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records.

MEMBERSHIP:

House              One member of the House of Representatives who represents the majority party, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Rich Crandall

                        One member of the House of Representatives who represents the minority party, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Steve Gallardo

                        One member of the House of Representatives who will serve as Co-Chair, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Rick Murphy (Co-Chair)

Senate             One member of the Senate who represents the minority party, appointed by the President of the Senate:

Jorge Garcia

                        One member of the Senate who represents the majority party, appointed by the President of the Senate:

Linda Gray

                        One member of the Senate who will serve as Co-Chair, appointed by the President of the Senate:

Karen Johnson (Co-Chair)

Other               One County Attorney or the County Attorney's designee as an advisory member, who represents a county with a population of more than one million two hundred thousand persons, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Mr. Mark Faull, Special Assistant County Attorney

                        One advisory member, who is a certified, professional counselor, appointed by the President of the Senate:

Mr. Jason Grygla

                        Vacant

                        One County Public Defender or the County Public Defender's designee as an advisory member, who represents a county with a population of more than four hundred thousand persons, appointed by the President of the Senate:

Mr. Jim Haas, Maricopa County Public Defender

                        One judicial officer, as an advisory member, who has had a case load dealing with transferred juveniles, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Ms. Barbara Hernandez, Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Sex Offender Unit

                        One County Public Defender or the County Public Defender's designee, as an advisory member, who represents a county with a population of four hundred thousand persons or less, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Mr. Dana Paul Hlavac, Mohave County Public Defender

                        One County Attorney or the County Attorney's designee as an advisory member, who represents a county with a population of four hundred thousand persons but less than one million two hundred thousand persons, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Ms. Barbara LaWall, Pima County Attorney

                        One advisory member who is an employee of a juvenile home licensed pursuant to Title 36, Chapter 10, appointed by the President of the Senate:

Ms. Melony Opheim, U-Turn Foundation

                        Vacant

                        One County Attorney or the County Attorney's designee as an advisory member, who represents a county with a population of four hundred thousand persons or less, appointed by the President of the Senate:

Mr. Matthew Smith, Mohave County Attorney

                        The Director of the Adult Services Division in the Administrative Office of the Courts:

Ms. Kathy Waters, Adult Probation Services Division, Division Director

Notes:  The Committee shall meet a minimum of three times at a time and place set by the Co-Chairs.

CONTACT: Christina Estes-Werther, Senate Research Staff; Katy Proctor, House Majority Research

REPORT DATE: 12/31/06

EXPIRATION DATE: 09/30/2007

STATUTORY CITE: Laws 2006, Chapter 165