King County Auditor’s Report on High-Risk Issues Includes Concerns for Adult and Juvenile Detention

by Lauryn Bray

On Sept. 16, the King County Auditor’s Office (KCAO) released a new report identifying areas of significant safety, financial, and reputational risks to King County if recommendations outlined in previous reports are not addressed.

“Implementing these recommendations could have an immediate impact on some of the most pressing challenges King County faces,” according to King County auditor Kymber Waltmunson in the report’s introduction. “Councilmembers may wish to consider taking legislative actions to inspire county agencies to promptly address the outstanding concerns highlighted in the High-Risk List.”

The list puts forth recommendations for improving six King County jurisdictions: the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD), the Facilities Management Division (FMD) at the King County Courthouse (KCC), King County Information Technology (KCIT), the Facilities Management Division (FMD) at the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), and King County Superior and District Courts.

The report accuses DAJD of refusing to implement solutions that would reduce negative impacts on Black people in its custody. The auditor’s office determined in its 2021 report that DAJD places more Black people in restrictive housing than any other demographic.

“DAJD has argued that racial disparities shown in our audit stem from issues outside of its control. However there is evidence that DAJD’s risk-scoring approaches and responses to infractions incorporate racial bias that contribute to disparities in outcomes,” the recent report states. “DAJD said that it considers its current system to be within best practice and has said that an annual review of its classification system is not necessary.”

The auditor’s office also states that DAJD is not taking opportunities to make the King County Jail (KCJ) safer by addressing the issues caused by double-bunking. 

“The number of fights and assaults among people in custody fell dramatically in 2020 when social distancing and a decline in the jail population reduced double-bunking (housing two people in a single cell). The jail population has increased since 2020 and DAJD has returned to the practice of double-bunking,” the report states.

The auditor’s office accuses KCJ of having no intention of pursuing its recommendation to end double-bunking, stating that “[DAJD] is accepting the risk of a less safe jail environment for staff and for incarcerated people.”

The report also outlines safety risks within the KCC that have not been attended to in nearly a decade. “The FMD has not addressed multiple life-safety issues we recommended addressing nine years ago, including those that affect crucial systems such as fire suppression and smoke control systems, and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems,” according to the report. “Unaddressed, these deficiencies may create risks for tenants during an emergency and/ or an inability for tenants to continue operations at the courthouse.”

Additionally, the report bolsters previous recommendations to the County to encourage collaboration between King County Superior Court and District Court while warning that current collaborative efforts may not continue. 

“Nearly every audit of the criminal legal system in the past five years includes a recommendation intended to encourage cooperation among legal entities. There has been some effort to improve cross-branch coordination to help inform the County’s criminal legal reform strategy, but efforts are still nascent,” the report states. “It is too early to tell if these efforts will continue, and our audits note that similar efforts in the past were not sustained, so there is risk that current efforts could end similarly without continued, meaningful cooperation.”

Lauryn Bray is a writer and reporter for the South Seattle Emerald. She has a degree in English with a concentration in creative writing from CUNY Hunter College. She is from Sacramento, California, and has been living in King County since June 2022. Readers can submit tips to Lauryn at lauryn.bray@seattleemerald.org.