King County Council sees heated comments over family justice center
Jul 24, 2024, 5:54 PM | Updated: Jul 25, 2024, 9:12 am
The King County Council Law and Justice Committee convened to vote on a motion regarding the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center. (Photo courtesy of James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)
(Photo courtesy of James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)
The King County Council Law and Justice Committee convened Wednesday to vote on a motion sponsored by Council member Reagan Dunn which, if passed would have declared the intent of the King County Council to maintain operations of the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center (CCFJC). The current plan calls for closing the facility next year.
“Today, the facility is holding 61-young-people on charges including murder, manslaughter, rape, child molestation and other serious violent crimes,” King County Council Member Claudia Balducci said in Wednesday’s council meeting. “It is clear that we continue to have a need for detention.”
“We cannot continue doing the same thing and expect different results,” King County Law and Justice Chair Jorge Baron said. “There is compelling evidence that our current system causes harm to youth and is very likely hindering our public safety goals.”
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Before council members had their say, the public had theirs. The majority of speakers want to see the jail closed. They prefer community-based unsecure alternatives.
“I’m terrified at how many other youths who need support, care and resources will be permanently traumatized and harmed by an institution that has invested so heavily in their punishment without any accountability,” college student LaTonya Guday said.
“There are some people who need to be locked up for the protection of everyone else,” long-time King County resident Beth Derancian said. “It’s not fair to everyone else to be subjected to that violence.”
Dunn’s motion comes on the heels of a contentious hearing of the Law and Justice Committee over the final ‘Care and Closure’ report back in April.
That report revealed the county is still considering a switch to unsecure detention for juveniles who have committed violent and serious felonies. Uncertainty around the future of the CCFJC has led to low employee morale, increased overtime costs, a shortage of staff and fewer services for youth in detention, Dunn wrote in a release.
King County’s ‘Care and Closure’ initiative seeks to close the CCFJC next year, even as the number of juvenile violent felonies skyrocket, including murder, rape, assault, shootings and burglaries.
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Crimes are up 146% since 2021, according to Dunn.
“In short, we need a ‘yes AND’ approach,” Council member Claudia Balducci said. “We need to support King County’s youth with robust programs and services to improve outcomes and we also need secure detention for youth in crisis or who have harmed others and pose a threat to public safety.”
The full council is expected to begin discussions on the matter at its next meeting on August 20.
James Lynch is a reporter at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of James’ stories here. Follow James on X, or email him here.
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