WASHINGTON STATE MINORITY AND JUSTICE TASK FORCE, SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, DEC. 19, 1990

The Task Force was established in 1987 pursuant to legislation which sought to improve the treatment of racial and ethnic minorities in Washington courts. The Task Force held public forums around the state in 1988 and undertook research studies.

The Washington Supreme Court created the Minority and Justice Commission in October 1990 in acknowledgment of the importance of the continuing need to determine whether racial, ethnic and cultural bias exists in the state court system and, when it exists, to recommend appropriate action to overcome it. The Commission's purpose was to continue the work of its predecessor, the Task Force, by implementing the Task Force Recommendations.

The data for the Commission's study on race and ethnic disparities in the prosecution of felony cases in King County came from three sources: (1) an automated database used by the Office of the King County Prosecuting Attorney; (2) case files for a sample of approximately 500 felony cases filed with the King County Superior Court during 1994; and (3) personal interviews with 15 King County deputy prosecuting attorneys.

FINDINGS:

The filing of felony charges by the King County Prosecutor's Office varies by the type of offense and by the race of the offender ... White offenders were the least likely to be charged (60%), compared to 65% of all minority offenders.

First, the effect of race, particularly African American, on bail was significant in most analyses...Second, there were significant differences in the amount of confinement recommended for Black offenders and White offenders, and deputy prosecutors were less likely to recommend an alternative sentence conversion for Black offenders.

[C]ontrolling for legal factors, African Americans tend to receive higher sentences than Whites and are less likely to be provided an alternative sentence conversion.