Second Regular Session
Sixty-first General Assembly
LLS NO. R980318.01 MN
STATE OF COLORADO
BY REPRESENTATIVES Grossman, Clarke, and Morrison;
also SENATOR Wham.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 98-1003
WHEREAS, Statistics indicate that racial and ethnic
disparities exist in the juvenile justice system, specifically
in the sentencing of adjudicated juveniles and in the treatment
and services that such adjudicated juveniles receive;
WHEREAS, The child welfare oversight committee created
pursuant to section 265105.7, Colorado Revised Statutes,
heard testimony on this subject during its meetings in the 1997
interim;
WHEREAS, The child welfare oversight committee recommended
that a task force be created to study these disparities and the
nature of any biases that contribute to the existence of such
disparities in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems;
now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives
of the Sixtyfirst General Assembly of the State of Colorado,
the Senate concurring herein:
(1) That a task force shall be created
to study the racial and ethnic disparities in the child welfare
and juvenile justice systems in the state of Colorado and the
nature of any biases that contribute to the existence of such
disparities.
(2) That such task force shall consist
of four members of the House of Representatives appointed by the
Speaker of the House, two members of the House of Representatives
appointed by the House minority leader, four members of the Senate
appointed by the President of the Senate, two members of the Senate
appointed by the Senate minority leader, two community representatives
with knowledge of the juvenile justice system appointed by the
Governor, and two county representatives with knowledge of the
juvenile justice system appointed by the statewide association
of counties.
(3) The task force study shall include,
but not be limited to:
(a) The extent to which racial or ethnic
disparities exist in the juvenile justice system, specifically
in the sentencing of adjudicated juveniles and in the treatment
services that such juveniles receive;
(b) The racial and ethnic composition
of the populations of adjudicated juveniles who are committed
to the department of human services;
(c) Methods for mitigating or eliminating
any racial or ethnic biases that are found to exist in sentencing
and treatment of adjudicated juveniles;
(d) Any suggested legislation necessary
to implement the recommendations set forth in the study.
(4) The task force study and recommendations
shall be submitted to the following committees of the general
assembly no later than January 1, 1999: The house and senate
health, environment, welfare, and institutions committees, the
house and senate judiciary committees, and the joint budget committee.
(5) The task force is authorized to accept any gifts, grants, and donations that may be made to it for purposes of the study of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.