***Task Force 2.0 was convened in June 2020. Information about it and its work can be found here.
The information below documents the work of the first Task Force on Race and the Criminal Justice System that was convened in 2010 and continued until summer 2012. It sought to document racial disparity in Washington's criminal justice system and to make recommendations intended to ameliorate it.
The first meeting of the Task Force on Race and the Criminal Justice System took place on November 4, 2010, at Seattle University School of Law. The meeting was convened by the Honorable Steven C. Gonzalez, Chair of the Washington State Access to Justice Board and King County Superior Court judge, and by Robert S. Chang, Professor of Law and Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at Seattle University School of Law.
Prompted by the remarks of two sitting justices on the Washington Supreme Court, the meeting was called to discuss racial bias in the criminal justice system in Washington state. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors, Washington State Access to Justice Board, the Washington State Commission on Gender and Justice, the Washington State Commission on Minority and Justice, the Loren Miller Bar Association, the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington, Washington Women Lawyers, QLaw, the Asian Bar Association of Washington, the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Washington, the Korean American Bar Association, Filipino Lawyers of Washington, the Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington, the King County Prosecutor's Office, The Defender Association, faculty members from the three Washington law schools (Gonzaga University, Seattle University, and the University of Washington), and various community and advocacy organizations.
At the meeting, we articulated a set of goals and developed working groups to move the project forward. The first phase involves developing informational resources on racial bias in the criminal justice system. The second phase involves bringing into conversation all levels of the criminal justice system and to develop a set of recommendations to address racial bias at the systemic level. The third phase involves working to implement the recommendations. Throughout, we will develop educational projects to reach judges, the bar, law enforcement, students, and the public.
The Working Groups have convened and have begun their work. Further information about the meetings can be found in Meeting Notes.
In March 2011, we released our Preliminary Report on Race and Washington's Criminal Justice System and presented our findings to the Washington Supreme Court. View the presentation and supporting documents.
The Research Working Group's Preliminary Report on Race and Washington's Criminal Justice System can also be viewed: Preliminary Report.
In March 2012, we released our report on Juvenile Justice and Racial Disproportionality and presented our findings to the Washington Supreme Court.
We are developing next steps. This is a multi-year project. Please return to this page for updates.
Much of the work of the Task Force on Race and the Criminal Justice System will be done in smaller working groups. These have been reconfigured prior to the December 2 meeting and include the following:
This working group's tasks are to (1) provide oversight; (2) develop resources; (3) develop metrics to assess progress; (4) engage in strategic communication.
People:
Robert Chang (Korematsu/SU Law)
Darby DuComb (Seattle City Attorney's Office)
Tracy Flood (Washington State Bar Association)
Judge Nicole Gaines (Loren Miller Bar Association)
Judge Steven González (ATJ Board) (chair)
Jason Gillmer (GU Law)
Paula Littlewood (Washington State Bar Association)
Karen Murray (Associated Counsel for the Accused)
Andy Sachs (QLaw)
Chach Duarte White (Washington State Bar Association)
This working group's tasks are to (1) engage in community outreach efforts to ensure that we are listening to and involving interested/affected communities; (2) bring together the interested parties involved in the criminal justice system; and (3) plan private dialogue and public events on race and the criminal justice system.
People:
Lisa Apsay (Filipino Lawyers of Washington)
Lieutenant Carmen Best (Seattle Police Department)
Eric Holte (Defender Initiative, SU Law)
The Honorable Don Horowitz
Fé Lopez (Latina/o Bar Association of Washington)
Sandy Restropo (SU Law)
Norma Rodriguez (Latina/o Bar Association of Washington)
Andy Sachs (QLaw)
Damon Shadid (Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington)
Diana Singleton (Access to Justice Institute, SU Law)
Raymond Swenson (Asian Bar Association of Washington)
Jamila Taylor (Loren Miller Bar Association)
Captain Ron Wilson (Seattle Police Department)
This working group's tasks are to develop informational resources and present findings on race and the criminal justice system.
People:
Katherine Beckett (UW)
Robert Chang (Korematsu Center)
Julius Debro (UW)
Taki Flevaris (Korematsu Center)
Jason Gillmer (GU Law)
Alexes Harris (UW)
Carl McCurley (Washington State Center for Court Research)
David Perez (Korematsu Center)
Charles Reasons (CWU Law and Justice)
Mary Whisner (UW Law Library)
Stephanie Wilson (SU Law Library)
This working group's tasks are to develop recommendations and an implementation plan for structural reform targeted at institutional actors within the criminal justice system.
People:
Judge Mary Yu (King County Superior Court) (co-chair)
Lisa Daugaard (The Defender Association, Racial Disparity Project) (co-chair)
Mark Larson (King County Prosecuting Attorney Office) (co-chair)
Jim Bamberger (Office of Civil Legal Aid)
Tracy Flood (Washington State Bar Association, Board of Governors)
Nicole Gaines (Loren Miller Bar Association)
Anita Khandelwal (The Defender Association, Racial Disparity Project)
Dirk Marler (Administrative Office of the Courts)
Monto Morton (Minority & Justice Commission)
Lam Nguyen-Bull (Vietnamese American Bar Association of Washington)
Tisha Pagalilauan (Filipino Lawyers of Washington)
Kathrine Price (SU Law)
Travis Stearns (Washington Defender Association)
Keith Talbot (Asian Bar Association of Washington)
Chach Duarte White (Washington State Bar Association, Board of Governors)
Resources
Prior studies by the Minority and Justice Commission are available at: www.courts.wa.gov. Go to the Research Subcommittee Reports.
The Defender Association, Racial Disparity Project, commissioned a report by Dr. Katherine Beckett on the Seattle Police Department and drug arrests. Read the executive summary. Or view the full report.
This working group's task is to develop educational programming for the following: (1) bench; (2) bar; (3) law enforcement; (4) public (5) law schools; (6) colleges; and (7) high schools are below.
People:
Dean George Critchlow (GU Law) (co-chair)
Dean Mark Niles (SU Law) (co-chair)
Dean Kellye Testy (UW Law) (co-chair)
Kris Costello (WWL)
Abigail Daquiz (FLOW)
Mary Fan (UW Law)
Whitney Knox (SU Law)
Larry Weiser (GU Law)
Please see the December 2 Meeting Agenda for detailed information about the working groups. If you are interested in joining one of these working groups, please e-mail Korematsu Center Director Robert Chang at changro@seattleu.edu
Meeting 1. November 4, 2010.
Meeting 2. December 2, 2010.
Meeting 3. January 20, 2011.
Meeting 4. February 17, 2011.
Meeting 5. May 19, 2011.
Administrative Office of the Courts
American Civil Liberties Union of Washington
The Asian Bar Association of Washington
Central Washington University, Department of Law and Justice
The Defender Association/Racial Disparity Project
Filipino Lawyers of Washington
Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, SU Law
Gonzaga University School of Law
The Korean American Bar Association of Washington
Latina/o Bar Association of Washington
Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington
Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle
QLaw: The GLBT Bar Association of Washington
Seattle City Attorney's Office
Seattle University School of Law
University of Washington, College of Arts and Sciences
University of Washington School of Law
Vietnamese American Bar Association of Washington
Washington Defender Association
Washington State Access to Justice Board
Washington State Bar Association
Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs
Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs
Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission
Washington State Gender and Justice Commission
Washington State Minority and Justice Commission
On March 28, 2012, the Task Force on Race and the Criminal Justice System made its second presentation to the Washington Supreme Court. Led by Judge Mary Yu and UW Law School Dean Kellye Testy, the Juvenile Justice Working Group presented its finding through a report (English version - Spanish version) and the presentation which may be viewed below.
Attending were representatives from the Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors, the Washington State Access to Justice Board, the Minority and Justice and Gender and Justice Commissions, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, The Defender Association, the state's specialty bar associations, the state's three law schools, and many other organizations, as well as many judges and other leaders from Washington's legal community.
Below the screen on each part, you will find links to the powerpoints used by certain presenters.
Presentation Part I (courtesy TVW)
Dr. Carl McCurley's Presentation Slides
Dr. Michael Pullman's Presentation Slides
Presentation Part II (courtesy TVW)
T.J. Bohl's Presentation Slides
On March 2, 2011, we met with the Washington Supreme Court at the Temple of Justice in Olympia Washington. Attending were representatives from the Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors, the Washington State Access to Justice Board, the Minority and Justice and Gender and Justice Commissions, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, The Defender Association, the state's specialty bar associations, the state's three law schools, various law enforcement agencies, and many other organizations, as well as many judges and other leaders from Washington's legal community.
The March 2 event included presentations from the Research Working Group and the Recommendations/Implementation Working Group.
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0:00 Chief Justice Madsen |
You may skip to different points in the webcast by moving your cursor over the video image and clicking on the timeline. We thank TVW for their permission to use the webcast.
Presentation Notes, Slides, and Report
View Jason Gillmer's notes
View Alexes Harris and Katherine Beckett's slides
View Robert Chang's slides.
View The Research Working Group's Preliminary Report on Race and Washington's Criminal Justice System.
View The Recommendations/Implementation Working Group's presentation slides.
The Seattle Times ran a brief article about the event.
The Research Working Group has released its Preliminary Report on Race and Washington's Criminal Justice System.
We also produced brief preliminary reports on discrete topics drawing primarily from Washington-specific studies and reports. Click on the topic to view each report.
2. Legal Financial Obligations (LFO)
7. Driving While License Suspended (DWLS)
The University of Washington Law Library has created a resource for finding many of the Washington-specific studies and reports: Reference Resource