NEWS GLEAMS | King County Council Votes to Keep Juvenile Detention Center Open

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

King County Council Symbolically Votes to Keep Juvenile Detention Center Open

Last Tuesday, Aug. 27, the nine-member King County Council passed a motion sponsored by Councilmember Reagan Dunn, which supports the continued operation of the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center, located in Seattle's Central District neighborhood. The unanimous vote came about following an extended period of debate, community comments in opposition of the existence of the jail, and numerous amendments from councilmembers.

Though the vote is unbinding, it is intended to convey a message to King County Executive Dow Constantine, who vowed to close the detention center in 2020, following "No New Youth Jail" protests from community members. The initial date for the jail's closure was in 2025, but in January 2024, that date was delayed to 2028 due to concerns around feasibility.

Constantine gave the final report for his plan to close the youth detention center in March 2024 to the King County Council's Law and Justice Committee, which serves as an advisory group on the closure. At the time, the advisory group reported that it received 1,800 comments from community members but required more time to assess the best path forward.

"Study after study shows that youth incarceration is a system that does not work. The profound racial disparities in the youth criminal legal system are a result of racist realities embedded in many systems, from health care to educational to economic, as well as the legal system itself," Constantine stated. "Together we can create bold and comprehensive change that can ensure healing, accountability, and community safety."

Under his Care & Closure initiative, Constantine had proposed six community-based solutions that would help ultimately end traditional youth detention in King County, including the creation of "a network of community care homes where youth would stay while their court case proceeds if they are unable to go home because of safety concerns," and "a 24/7 respite and receiving center that all youth under 18 years old would be taken upon arrest." One particular point of great contention among members of the Law and Justice Committee was whether the community care homes should have locks on them, and it was difficult to reach a consensus around the level of security they should require that would set them apart from the existing detention center.

Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, who has been a critic of the juvenile detention model and its impact on Youth of Color, was among the councilmembers who made amendments that encouraged improvements to the existing system but also showed wariness around the lack of locks. He stated on KUOW, "We need a secure building for public safety reasons. It's critical to protect our community and ensure that those who have committed serious offenses are housed in a way that prevents further harm. We can change what happens within the perimeter of a secure building so that it is more conducive to behavioral health and rehabilitation and education in a way that I don't think it is currently."

Critics of Constantine's plan argue that juvenile violent felonies are on the rise, including for serious crimes such as murder, assault, rape, shootings, and burglaries. A press release from Dunn stated, "In 2023, there were 177 violent felonies committed by juveniles, including murder, gun violence, drive-by shootings, domestic violence, rape, and residential burglary. Juvenile violent felony filings are up 57% from 2022, and up a shocking 146% from 2021. In addition, youth-on-youth gun violence is at a record high despite other homicides and violent crimes trending downward."

Community advocates, however, state that more investments must be made into diversion programs, not incarceration. An advocacy letter championed by the nonprofit Creative Justice gained over 1,100 signatures in opposition to the continued existence of the juvenile detention center. Reasons it cited were disproportionate enforcement, "where law and order is meted out to people of color … cruelly and disproportionately, despite evidence of similar rates of crime across racial groups"; long-term negative impacts upon those who are incarcerated from a young age; and an ineffective strategy, where they believe that "community programs, restorative justice practices, and investments in mental health services have proven more effective in reducing recidivism and supporting positive youth development."

When the Patricia H. Clark juvenile detention facility opened in 2020 and was first approved by voters in 2012, it cost $242 million and was designed to take a more rehabilitative approach to juvenile justice. As of Aug. 27, 58 juveniles were held in secure detention there, with 15 of them being tried as adults. Twenty-four were being held for robbery, six were being held for murder, and 11 were being held for assault.

YMCA Honors Community Trailblazers Sheri Schultz and Eric Pettigrew

The YMCA of Greater Seattle will hold its Community Changemakers Luncheon on Sept. 25 to honor Sheri Shultz and Eric Pettigrew, with the keynote delivered by Dr. Ben Danielson.

Danielson's keynote "will focus on the critical issues of youth mental health and the crisis of loneliness, emphasizing the importance of social connections in building more resilient, connected communities," a press release on the event said.

Shultz and the Schultz Family Foundation will receive the A.K. Guy Award for community leadership, and Pettigrew will be awarded the Judge Charles V. and Lazelle Johnson Excellence in Social Justice Award.

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Ben Danielson as our keynote speaker," said Loria Yeadon, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Seattle. "His dedication to health equity and his deep connection to the community make him an ideal voice to inspire us all as we continue our work to support and empower youth. We are also pleased to recognize and lift up the exemplary community leadership, commitment, and impact of our honorees: Sheri Schultz, the Schultz Family Foundation, and Eric Pettigrew."

For more information on the event, visit YMCA's Changemakers Event webpage.

📸 Featured Image: 2023 MLK Day march at the King County juvenile detention center. (Photo: Susan Fried)

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