Juvenile Domestic Violence Falls 62% In King County, Washington, After Launch Of New Family Intervention Program

During the first nine months of 2016, juvenile domestic violence filings dropped by 62% compared to filings for the same period during 2015 in Washington state’s King County, which includes Seattle. The decrease in juvenile domestic violence filings was attributed to a new county pilot program, Family Intervention and Restorative Services (FIRS), which launched in January 2016.

FIRS allows youth and families to receive treatment services without requiring a court to sentence the youth and order the youth and their families to participate in services. Through FIRS, families are offered services at no cost, including in-home family counseling . . .