Family Safety Center furthers effort to aid victims of violence

posted 11:45 PM 05/22
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The one thing we can always count on is change. Yet change is often difficult for people and organizations.

In 1985, it was common for a child-abuse victim to be interviewed many times in many places. Then one child said something during one of these interviews that would change the response to child abuse forever: “Don’t you all talk to each other?”

This question formed an idea to create a place for child victims to be interviewed and receive services in a child-friendly environment. Professionals go to this place to collaborate as a team, coordinating services and reducing the number of interviews.

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Supporting parents, children saves lives in the long run

posted 01:15 AM 04/11

My first assignment as a young deputy prosecutor was with the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force. As a member of that unit, I often accompanied law enforcement when serving search warrants in drug investigations. While I saw many appalling situations, one in particular stands out in my memory. One day detectives served a search warrant at a house in Olympia where heroin was being used and sold. Amid the filth and chaos was a drug addicted mother and her three young daughters. Detectives found heroin and syringes lying out in the open and a machete under one girl’s bed. The girl told them that it was there to protect herself from, “mommy’s friends.” The mother was arrested and the girls taken into protective custody.

Drug Court turned justice system on its head – and it worked

posted 01:33 AM 02/29

Sometimes, I wonder how the idea for a drug court originated. I wonder about this because the creation of drug courts in the United States is, in my opinion, one of the most remarkable innovations in criminal jurisprudence since trial by jury.