Partnership for Youth Justice
Restoring Youth Accountability

Diverting young people from the formal juvenile justice system to community based citizen groups began in 1959 with the formation of the Renton Conference Committee (now called the Renton Community Accountability Board). Today, under the auspices of the King County Juvenile Judges Committee, there are twenty-three Community Accountability Boards (CAB) utilizing over 300 trained community volunteers who meet on a regularly scheduled basis to handle about 3,000 diverted juvenile cases annually.

These 23 CABs serve 17 communities within the county and eight neighborhoods within metropolitan Seattle. The boundaries of the urban and rural CABs are based on neighborhood identity and/or school districts. The selection of CAB members begins with nominations of concerned, dedicated citizens. Each prospective volunteer is carefully screened, oriented and trained by staff before serving on a CAB.

The key role of the CAB as a community service is to balance the needs of victims, communities and offenders. The goal is to restore each of the parties, as fully as possible, from the effects of crime. In addition, the CABs offer an alternative to the formal juvenile justice system by diverting youth and their families to Boards in their own community. The objectives are:

1. To increase the juvenile’s awareness of the relationship between the offense committed and the people harmed by his/her actions.
   
2. To provide restitution to victims of the youth’s offense.
   
3. To provide accountability for the juvenile’s behavior.
   
4. To impress upon the youth that the community is concerned with his/her conduct.
   
5. To facilitate resolution of the presenting problem.
   
6. To stimulate and maximize the opportunity for citizen participation.
   
7. To develop needed community resources.
   

In addition, secondary benefits result from the program. The cost of administering the juvenile justice system is reduced and the caseloads of the Court are lessened.

CABs can and do have enormous positive impact on young people and their families. They provide an excellent and effective form of early intervention that helps both the youth in trouble and the community.