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Seattle University Law Review

Articles 211 - 224 of 224

Full-Text Articles in Juvenile Law

Murder By Child Abuse—Who's Responsible After State V. Jackson? , Christine A. Martin Jan 2000

Murder By Child Abuse—Who's Responsible After State V. Jackson? , Christine A. Martin

Seattle University Law Review

Currently, under Washington law, a passive parent is not legally responsible for the death of his or her child from abuse. State v. Jackson is a horrific illustration of the gaps in Washington's law regarding the issue of who is responsible for the death of a child by abuse. Because passive parents should be held responsible for the death of their child from abuse, and because Washington's current laws are inadequate, Washington's legislature should create a special statute that would hold both abusive and passive parents culpable for the death of a child resulting from abuse.

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The Denial Of A State Constitutional Right To Bail In Juvenile Proceedings: The Need For Reassessment In Washington State, Kathleen A. Baldi Jan 1996

The Denial Of A State Constitutional Right To Bail In Juvenile Proceedings: The Need For Reassessment In Washington State, Kathleen A. Baldi

Seattle University Law Review

Article I, section 20 of the Washington Constitution states that "[a]ll persons charged with crimes shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, except for capital offenses when the proof is evident, or the presumption great." Despite seemingly unequivocal language that this constitutional provision is applicable to "all persons," the Washington Supreme Court, in Estes v. Hopp, declared that juveniles do not have a constitutional right to bail. The Estes court engaged in little constitutional analysis, but instead, reasoned that juvenile proceedings are civil in nature and that article 1, section 20 applies only in criminal proceedings. Central to the Estes …

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Washington's Becca Bill: The Costs Of Empowering Parents, Alison G. Ivey Jan 1996

Washington's Becca Bill: The Costs Of Empowering Parents, Alison G. Ivey

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment gives a practical overview of the Becca Bill and its provisions and addresses the potentially dangerous ramifications of the bill. Part II of this Comment gives a brief history of the trends in juvenile justice in this country, establishing a context for what led to the Becca Bill's passage. Part III of this Comment gives a brief history of Washington's statutes dealing with status offenders. This section then outlines the key portions of the Becca Bill, focusing primarily on the “lockup” provision and new petitions available to parents in order to obtain court intervention into the lives of …

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When The Bough Breaks: Federal And Washington State Indian Child Welfare Law And Its Application, Kim Laree Schnuelle Jan 1993

When The Bough Breaks: Federal And Washington State Indian Child Welfare Law And Its Application, Kim Laree Schnuelle

Seattle University Law Review

Although removal of any child from his or her family is traumatic, too frequently Indian child removal has been performed with little prior investigation and with an absence of cultural sensitivity. The resulting inequalities in Indian child foster placement and adoption rates led to a recognition of the need for Indian child welfare reform, both on a federal and state level. This Article provides an overview of Indian child welfare issues and addresses both the evolution and nature of Indian child welfare reform. Initially, this Article discusses the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, including the cultural history behind the Act, …

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Juvenile Justice In Washington: A Punitive System In Need Of Rehabilitation, Jeffrey K. Day Jan 1992

Juvenile Justice In Washington: A Punitive System In Need Of Rehabilitation, Jeffrey K. Day

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment argues that the juvenile justice system should be retained in theory, but that Washington’s punitive approach has failed and should be restructured to embrace a system that focuses more on the needs of the offender than on the results of the offense. This Comment advocates for the punitive system to be replaced by laws that once again make rehabilitation a primary goal, but that also provide juveniles with the procedural safeguards necessary to ensure survival in the system. This Comment proposes a significant restructuring of the current system as a means of achieving that goal.

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Where The Reason Stops: Babcock V. State Establishes An Unjustified Immunity For Foster-Care Placement, Christine A. Mccabe Jan 1991

Where The Reason Stops: Babcock V. State Establishes An Unjustified Immunity For Foster-Care Placement, Christine A. Mccabe

Seattle University Law Review

This Note will argue that the Babcock court's application of this immunity fails to serve the traditional goals of judicial immunity and undermines the factors that should protect dependent children. This argument will develop by first considering the development of judicial immunity and the significance of the concept of functional comparability. The Note will then begin the discussion of the Babcock case with an explanation of the nature of a dependency proceeding and the duties performed by a caseworker during initiation of a dependency proceeding and during placement in foster-care. The Note will then consider the caseworker's actions in the …

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Balancing The Right To Confrontation And The Need To Protect Child Sexual Abuse Victims: Are Statutes Authorizing Televised Testimony Serving Their Purpose?, Kimberley Seals Bressler Oct 1988

Balancing The Right To Confrontation And The Need To Protect Child Sexual Abuse Victims: Are Statutes Authorizing Televised Testimony Serving Their Purpose?, Kimberley Seals Bressler

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment begins by providing a brief outline of the procedures regulating the use of televised testimony. Next, against the larger backdrop of the history of the right to confrontation, Part III addresses the treatment of televised testimony as hearsay. This section presents a recent Maryland decision as an illustration of the undesirable analogy of televised testimony to hearsay that leads to a more difficult admission standard. Part III concludes with the argument that televised testimony is the functional equivalent of in-court testimony, and thus, a hearsay analysis is inappropriate. Part IV of this Comment presents a recent Supreme Court …

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The Court-Ordered Predisposition Evaluation Under Washington's Juvenile Justice Act: A Violation Of The Privilege Against Self-Incrimination?—Wash. Rev. Code § 13.40, Judith H. Ramseyer Jan 1986

The Court-Ordered Predisposition Evaluation Under Washington's Juvenile Justice Act: A Violation Of The Privilege Against Self-Incrimination?—Wash. Rev. Code § 13.40, Judith H. Ramseyer

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment analyzes the significance of the principles animating the constitutional privilege against self-incrimination by first looking at the purposes of Washington’s Juvenile Justice Act; second, by examining the status of the privilege against self-incrimination during sentencing; and third, by applying the values protected by the privilege to the use of predisposition psychological evaluations in Washington juvenile courts.

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Public Policy Over Metaphysics: Wrongful Birth And Wrongful Life In Harbeson V. Parke-Davis, Inc., Eric B. Schmidt Jan 1985

Public Policy Over Metaphysics: Wrongful Birth And Wrongful Life In Harbeson V. Parke-Davis, Inc., Eric B. Schmidt

Seattle University Law Review

The recognition of the wrongful birth and wrongful life causes of action by the Washington State Supreme Court is supported by both policy rationales and legal theories. Wrongful birth and wrongful life causes of action receive support from traditional tort principles and, more important, further public policy by deterring negligent genetic counseling and negligent preconception medical treatment. This Note describes the legal history of these claims and analyzes several issues not addressed by the Washington court. In addition, this Note criticizes a more recent decision by the court, which limits wrongful conception causes of action, because that decision conflicts with …

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Confronting Child Victims Of Sex Abuse: The Unconstitutionality Of The Sexual Abuse Hearsay Exception, Katrin E. Frank Jan 1984

Confronting Child Victims Of Sex Abuse: The Unconstitutionality Of The Sexual Abuse Hearsay Exception, Katrin E. Frank

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment first analyzes Washington’s hearsay exception Act in the light of the principles that form the basis for the hearsay rule and its exceptions. It then examines the effect of the Act on the preexisting hearsay rules. Next, it compares the concept of unavailability as used in the hearsay exceptions with the concept of incompetence; both concepts are then analyzed according to the requirements of the hearsay rules and the confrontation clause. The Comment concludes that the Act is unconstitutional because it permits admission of hearsay of testimonially incompetent children.

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Wrongful Death Of The Fetus: Viability Is Not A Viable Distinction, Sheryl Anne Symonds Jan 1984

Wrongful Death Of The Fetus: Viability Is Not A Viable Distinction, Sheryl Anne Symonds

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment reviews the history of tort law treatment of the fetus who is wrongfully injured or killed. The Comment discusses case history and wrongful death statutes, with a focus on Washington law. Finally, the Comment concludes that courts should ignore viability when deciding cases of fetal wrongful death.

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The State's Interest In Adoption And Washington's Sealed Records Statute, Eileen M. Lawrence Jan 1981

The State's Interest In Adoption And Washington's Sealed Records Statute, Eileen M. Lawrence

Seattle University Law Review

After discussing the legal effect of the adoption decree and the purpose of Washington's adoption statute, this comment will analyze the competing interests of the adoptee, the biological parents, the adoptive parents, and the state. This article will also discuss the legislative proposal in Washington attempting to abolish the good cause requirement. Finally, this article concludes the sealed records requirement is constitutionally sound and despite the need for further legislative articulation, the good cause balancing approach is the most suitable method for protecting the conflicting rights and interests inherent in the adoption process.

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Parent-Child Privilege: Constitutional Right Or Specious Analogy?, Donald Cofer Jan 1979

Parent-Child Privilege: Constitutional Right Or Specious Analogy?, Donald Cofer

Seattle University Law Review

To avoid reaching incorrect verdicts as a result of insufficient evidence, courts generally require witnesses to testify to all relevant facts within their knowledge. Two important exceptions to this general rule, incompetency and privilege, rest on very different rationales. Developed at common law to exclude unreliable evidence, rules of competency disqualify certain untrustworthy witnesses from testifying. To promote extrinsic public policies, however, privileges excuse competent witnesses from providing what may be highly probative and reliable evidence. In the past decade there have been calls for legislative or judicial recognition of a parent-child privilege, similar to the marital privilege, that would …

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Washington's Juvenile Status Offense Laws, Thomas Neville Jan 1978

Washington's Juvenile Status Offense Laws, Thomas Neville

Seattle University Law Review

This comment discusses the history and characteristics of traditional status offense laws, demonstrates why the laws are a poor response to juvenile misbehavior, and examines proposals to improve them. In subsequently analyzing the new Washington laws that emphasize voluntary social services for rebellious children and their families, this comment concludes that the legislature, though implementing some of these proposals, failed to apply a consistently progressive approach to its new legislation. Inadequate protection for some children and inequitable application of provisions in the new laws may result. Finally, this comment suggests ways to improve the Washington legislation.

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