Goode also emphasized the importance of the physical space used to house children in need of long-term care and supervision. Earlier this week we introduced you to the King County's Restorative Community Pathways (RCP) program and how it evades the judiciary section of the criminal justice system. Advocacy Program Coordinator. Community Passageways Reintegrate: Ensure a smooth, successful integration into the community. Jasmin Tucker. We will gather a wealth of wisdom from our diversity: 1) Join us at our monthly community Membership meeting to learn from others directly about their experiences, their problems and resolutions. But theyre also overlooked as victims. The FIRS Center is a safe, positive, andsupportive space. Restorative justice is about public safety. What's Next in King County's Path to Ending Youth Detention? KUOW - King County gave millions to 'No New Youth Jail' activists to If a youth does not complete a Diversion Agreement or does not respond to requests to meet to establish a Diversion Agreement,Juvenile Court sends the case back to the prosecutor, at which time the prosecutor might decide to file criminal charges. (Photo: DJ Martinez). PO Box 31026, Bellingham, WA 98228 Lily Anderson, Senior Social Worker, or theStep-UpTeam (206)-477-2071,lily.anderson@kingcounty.gov. Instead of police, prosecutors, and judges, we operate with mentors, counselors, and circle keepers. The FIRS team works with families to assess risk, identify needs, complete safety planning and refer for appropriateservices. He said the referrals from police departments recommending prosecution of a juvenile has drastically decreased from the tens of thousands of referrals he would receive annually in the mid-1990s, to now just over 1,000 in 2021. Instead of jails, we will have homes, schools, jobs, and a community that stands with our youth. There must be a case number to track these offenses and the serious felony crimes should be removed from eligibility. If implemented as designed, those running the RCP show could potentially include kids whove committed brutal attacks, harassed others, broke into homes, or even brought guns to school and threatened to kill other students. The county will launch new restorative justice programs, for both adult and youth offenders, aimed at keeping people out of the traditional criminal justice system. . Jun 2022 - Present11 months. Khandelwal called it a a long overdue departure from a racist, ineffective and failed legal system.. Earlier this week we introduced you to the King Countys Restorative Community Pathways (RCP) program and how it evades the judiciary section of the criminal justice system. She argued that restorative justice programs such as RCP make a root-cause analysis into crime and help to make progress to prevent crime and strengthen community through the process. Earlier this year, Constantine said the county would repurpose its new youth jail by 2025 and close the adult jail in Seattle at an undetermined point in the future. Restorative Programs focus on prevention and early intervention using three models: Family Intervention andRestorative Services (FIRS), Step Up, and Diversion. Four of the most prominent existing programs Choose 180, Community Passageways, Creative Justice, and Collective Justice are working with the King County Department of Public Defense to form Restorative Community Pathways, a consortium of service providers for children facing potential misdemeanor or first-time felony charges. King County group hopes to prove diversion program can be 'far more Support: Support people already in the prison system. Juveniles who threaten physical and deadly harm to innocent people, especially in schools, needs more than a time out devoid of legal oversight. , When a youth completes all requirements in the Diversion Agreement, they do not have a criminal record and no charges are filed. But, after seeing the actual effects that incarceration has on people, his view shifted, Hung said. OPINION: The World We Need Must be Built by Community Not Courtrooms . He argued that these juveniles are still children, just trying to discover their own identity in a system that is treating them like an adult criminal and not a child in need of guidance. . Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. As a felony diversion and prevention program, CP is leading the way in reimagining and actively creating an alternative to todays criminal legal system. We collaborate with families, schools, the court system, correctional center staff, religious institutions, policy makers, and community members to support adolescent youth of color. Rantz: Prosecutor says 'get used to' no jail time for teen gun crimes King County resident Abby Brockman testified in favor of the program, saying that Dunns argument against the RCP seems to pit restorative justice and public safety against each other. And so someone who is drafting a motion like that just doesnt understand it.. Program providers report 86 percent of youth participants are meeting their program goals and 94 percent are increasing connection with adults, family, and the community. . Creative Justice and Collective Justiceare working with the King County Department of Public Defense to form Restorative Community Pathways, a consortium of service providers for children facing potential misdemeanor . Restorative Community Pathways for youth offenders contrasts with traditional prosecution. Interested in learning more about our team & programs? He has published work withKUOW,North Carolina Public Radio, andThe Progressivemagazine, and he is currently working on a podcast forKUAFin Fayetteville, Arkansas. Bringing a gun to school and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree is on that list, he said. Executive Constantine unveils 2021-2022 budget, calls for major About Community Passageways Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Initially, he supported the supposed tough on crime approach toward dealing with the crime by locking people up. When it opened, the County offered tours to show off the pastel-colored walls, art collection, and brightly lit common areas that set it apart from the old facility. Seattle, Washington, United States. We have civic leadership opportunities, mentoring, and change-making resources available so you can feel confident and be an effective ally for those who have been silenced by the criminal legal sector. CLICK HERE to Download Full .PDF Acknowledgements Thank you to the thousands of citizens who, Jails, Sheriffs and Carceral Policymaking is a useful law review article about the hidden to, Irene then turned to helping others break free of our dysfunctional justice system, founding the, 11 x 17 LARGE POSTER FOR COMMUNITY EDUCATION TWO SIDED Side One- BLINDSPOTS:UNEXPECTED FINDINGS, Wow! Check out this County in Oregon! While Whatcom County could easily have been the, The Restorative Community Coalition Izzy Eads. Paul reports on police accountability for PubliCola. Dominique served as Co-Director of the Choose 180 Program from 2011 to 2016, which was named2015Best New Nonprofit by Seattle Foundation and Seattle Met Magazine under his leadership. But if you were to have access to the social file, these kids have multiple prior cases in the system. Many have unstable housing and are dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues the kinds of dysfunction that may prompt the judge to decide that there are no better options, and that detention is the safest place for this young person right now, Hung said. Seattle, WA 98104. Full Bio. Young Men of Color ages 16 to 25 are the primary drivers of long-term sentences in Washington State, said Martina Kartman, the founder of Collective Justice, a victim-focused restorative justice program. After citing existing law, the prosecutors office comes to this conclusion in this hypothetical scenario. The courtrooms in the old center were cramped and gave little privacy to young defendants, while the new facilitys courtrooms offer more breathing room. , Making Diversion Programs More Culturally Responsive. Mailing address: 1) It helps real people in real time to deal with real issues up close and personal. And thats where I think the community comes in and they do a much much better job than we could ever do.. Rep. Harris-Talley has spent over 20 years building powerful movements for change in our region and statewide . King County has historically proven that diversion works to reduce juvenile crime, and thats exactly what RCP aims to do. A restorative practice approach is used with teens and parents together to address violent incidents that have occurred. The COVID recession, along with the need to fundamentally transform our criminal legal system, created necessary budget reductions for the King County Sheriffs Office, Gallagher said. It costs taxpayers anywhere from $30,000 to $250,000a year to keep someone in jail. King County has historically proven that diversion works to reduce juvenile crime, and thats exactly what RCP aims to do, said Dan Satterberg, King County Prosecuting Attorney. Dunn proposes pause to highly controversial criminal diversion program The FIRS Center is staffed 24/7 by Pioneer Human Services. We have a system that is wildly racially disproportionate, and its disproportionate despite what Fox News will tell you, because Black and brown people are treated differently throughout our society, including by every element of the criminal and legal system, Constantine said. RCP is an important step on King Countys journey to zero youth detention, as the County divests from the juvenile legal system responses to youth in crisis and invests in a community-based diversion response, and the early results are promising. He said the cuts equate to about 30 patrol deputies or an approximate 22% reduction in 911 service to unincorporated areas of King County.. Hung said this is a decent metric and indicator of how juvenile crime has been decreasing over the years despite a huge population explosion in the region during the same time period. You can choose your level of involvement.It will take many hands working together at different levels to bridge the gaps while rebuilding healthy communities. It would launch by 2022 and would be the countys first diversion program, in this form, for felony offenders, said Anita Khandelwal, director of the King County Public Defenders office. Crime-conscious mayors criticize King County's juvenile justice program Although Dunns motion was shot down five to one during a council meeting on March 1, 2022, Hung wants people to know the facts about the program and how his office is viewing it. Instead of facing traditional prosecution, these individuals who are facing their first charge and are disproportionately young men of color will be offered a community-based alternative that emphasizes restorative justice and restoration for harmed parties, Constantines office wrote. What were not very good at is wrapping ourselves around a young person to help them make better decisions and to turn their lives around, Hung said. A program review from 2014 showed just under 20% of youth diverted to Choose 180s program committed additional crimes within a year only 5% lower than a control group with similar characteristics. Whether its becoming a mentor or our helping with vital behind-the-scenes administration, your volunteer time restores and saves lives! It. The current program includes: Criminal youth dictating how the program is run Its just sending the wrong message basically saying that one kid is better than the other, when theyre both redeemable.. It's a diversion program for some first-time criminal offenders. 2023 Change Washington. In particular, it is shockingly irresponsible to remove legal consequences for any firearm-related crime at a time when gun violence is surging to an all-time high. Instead, that money would be used to help people vacate old marijuana-related convictions and settle old fines and court fees. Moreover, what is left out is whether keeping a juvenile in jail or giving them social services is in the best interest of public safety. Youll send in juveniles without any prior offenses on their record. King County's shadow juvenile crime system needs reform FIRS serves families at the Patricia Clark Child and Family Justice Center and in the community after an arrest orreferral from law enforcement following an incident of family violence. The county prosecutors office expects to refer between 700 and 800 young people to the program by 2022 or 2023: as much as 80% of the prosecutors current juvenile caseload. The program diverts kids who have committed a crime away from the prison system and instead focuses on rehabilitation through . When you make that distinction, the kid feels it. Restorative Community Pathways has funds to offer the victims of crimes immediate restitution without going through a lengthy court process, Hung said. This is a new "restorative justice" program that provides alternatives to jail time. One had arrived in the facility earlier that day; another had spent nearly 640 days in detention for a first-degree rape charge. At the same time, Change Washington believes other reforms should include the following: Theres been enough wasted spending and no accountability when it comes to addressing the homelessness crisis in King County. The priorities presented today will begin to address some of the injustices the Black community and other communities of color have experienced for decades in King County, Brown said. Volunteering with Community Passageways is a way to invest your skills, heart, and mind into our young people. Extensive information about Step-Up,including program curriculum, is availableHERE. Over the last 20 years in Seattle, we have seen a sharp decline in the number of young people in detention. Seattle Times staff reporter King County will keep moving forward with a new juvenile restorative justice program, passed in the wake of 2020's mass racial justice protests, despite the. If passed, the property tax levy will help fund behavioral health infrastructure in the region. It may be something that looks very much like detention, but are we going to call it something different and claim that were at zero youth detention?. Or do you know someone who would benefit from our programs? Dunns proposal was in response to concerns about the program brought up by South King County Mayors Jim Ferrell (Federal Way), Nancy Backus (Auburn), Dana Ralph (Kent) and Armondo Pavone (Renton). CONTACT FIRS is a collaborative intervention and approach to address adolescent family violence in a timely, therapeutic, andtrauma-informed alternative to formal court involvement. The result? To use rising crime as a justification for pausing the program is just not correct, Hung said. The final steps toward the goal of ending youth detention by 2025 will require the County to agree to non-detention-based alternatives that can support young people in the most dire circumstances including people for whom the County doesnt see a space in the existing restorative justice programs. Youthhave the opportunity tosign out-of-court agreements in lieu of criminal charging and formal court. During a Law, Justice, Health and Human Services Committee meeting on March 1, when the proposed motion was brought up, many community members testified against pausing the Restorative Community Pathways program and argued that the program was a necessity in the regions communities. Dolphy Jordan, a Seattle-based member of the Incarcerated Childrens Advocacy Network, spent 21 years in Washington prisons for a murder he committed when he was 16. Our diagrams and tools provides roadmaps and a wealth of information for people interested in big-system shifts for the local to national incarceration and criminal justice systems. He said RCP provides better accountability for the offender and more support for the victims of crimes compared to the traditional court system. Calls to reform the juvenile legal system have increased over the past decade, and RCP is a direct response to the need for systemic change, ensuring youth with lived experience and community members and organizations impacted by these issues are closely engaged with human service providers and government agencies to meet collective goals, including increased public safety and restorative programs. King County Executive Dow Constantine shared updates on the early success of Restorative Community Pathways (RCP), an evidence-based program aimed at reducing youth incarceration and racial disproportionality in the juvenile legal system. Diverting a potential school shooter to a social program, when there have been repeated instances of actual shootings preceded by telltale warning signs, is beyond irresponsible. Within the first year, RCP aims to divert 400 low-level, first-time juvenile cases to an existing network of restorative justice organizations that provide immediate responses and support for youth and harmed parties. of sentencing relative to initial charges. Every dollar you donated helps to prevent youth from going to the prison system while realizing their full potential. This is a community-led initiative, supported by the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) that builds on King Countys current plans and investments to realize the vision of a community where every person can thrive. University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business. I think we as a society, and especially in America, need to have a come to Jesus moment on what our criminal justice system is actually capable of, Hung said. The same could be said for vehicle theft and other types of non-violent crime that undermine public safety and quality of life. Pathways To Recovery Phone: 360-354-3653 Gun violence related to gang activity has actually remained relatively stable over the course of the pandemic, Hung said. respectful family relationships so that all family members feel safe at home. Seahawks Social Justice | Seattle Seahawks - Seahawks.com KUOW Public Radio on Instagram: "On a Sunday morning last November, an According to Nance, his department plans to convene a work group including judges, counselors, prosecutors, and young people themselves to outline the countys next steps, but the timeline for closing or transforming the jail on Alder Street is still unknown. Program providers report 86 percent of youth participants are meeting their program goals and 94 percent are increasing connection with adults, family, and the community.. Are you a young person in the Seattle-area who wants to participate in our programs? Actor and comedian Tim Allen is an example of that after being given a reduced sentence for drug charges when he was a young adult. "This restorative community pathway builds up the young person, sees them as a possibility to be developed and not a problem to be solved, while simultaneously making sure that the harmed party . In my opinion, thats a fundamental misunderstanding of what restorative justice is. While only 10% of King Countys 2 million residents are black, they now make up almost half of the detention population on any given day, and more than half of felony offenses. However, just as there are many homeless who have no desire to reenter normal society, there are criminals who plan to continue that lifestyle. They feel like they have to act differently. Also, some downtown buildings are not open to the public due to a project to close the Administration Building and relocate the agencies affected. Restorative Community Pathways (RCP) was implemented in November. Community Passageways is driven by the belief that guidance and support are more effective in inspiring people to make positive choices, seeing their unlimited potential and envisioning a future where they can live their lives fully. My proposals for anti-racism and criminal legal system transformation Juvenile division prosecutor defends Restorative Community Pathways I frankly have no idea what people who live in neighborhoods where bullets are flying past their head are going through, Hung said. Restorative Community Pathways Teach-in - Facebook Homelessness, criminalization of poverty, the Covid crisis, technology and social justice issues are only part of the problems we face. A proposal to pause the recently implemented Restorative Community Pathways program, a program intended to divert juvenile criminal cases from the juvenile justice system into a. That is just part of growing up.. When you get involved helping people, or doing community advocacy, we provide coaching. Paul Faruq Kiefer is a journalist, historian, and born-and-bred Seattleite. All crimes that hurt the safety of our communities such as shoplifting rings, home burglaries, and car thefts need to be taken seriously so that folks are not re-victimized and the security of our neighborhoods is preserved, Dunn said. The same person who goes through the justice system as a victim one day goes through as a defendant the next. If the county wants to find alternatives to detention for the young people facing serious felony charges, she said, the solution may involve offering victim support services more widely.
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