This is a moment that cant be missed, Constantine said. Theres nothing about that new building that feels like a therapeutic space, he said. Many youth avoid secure detention. Marlon Brown, a board member of Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County, called the changes a first step. Finding alternatives for most of the young people in detention facing serious charges, and for those who have passed through the prosecutors office multiple times, will be a delicate process. Who is responsible? 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. , Youth who are eligible for diversion, along with their parent or guardian, meet with a team of trained volunteers (learn more about the Partnership for Youth Justice program and theDiversion Community Accountability BoardHERE)oran individual staff member todetermine what goes into the Diversion Agreement. Suggesting anything else is inaccurate.. All Rights Reserved. It will also depend on how the entities guiding the process both in county government and in the nonprofit sector define the end of youth detention.. This includes increased gun violence in domestic violence situations, around homelessness, and interestingly enough, road rage. Julie Schulman testified as someone who had been involved in the justice system as a young person and someone who works with youth in support of RCP as well. 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. King County Executive Dow Constantine on Wednesday proposed several new initiatives to cut funding from the county Sheriffs Office, shift resources away from the traditional criminal justice system toward community-based alternatives and move away from traditional fare enforcement on county buses. A $6.2 million program called Restorative Community Pathways would refer up to 800 young people, by 2023, to community-based services, rather than filing criminal charges against them. Hannah Long - Finance Coordinator - Restorative Community Pathways interventions at the Patricia Clark Child and Family Justice Center and in the community. For the same period, 233 juveniles were charged through traditional prosecution, with 47, or just over twenty percent, seeing new case referrals. . From reducing prison sentences to developing thriving young adults, Community Passageways impact on our young people and the community is wide-reaching. Dominique was a gifted football player, who had to make the decision between his dream to play professionally or survive, he chose the latter. Under the RCP, the potential school shooter would be referred to one of the community groups such as 180 Collective, which initially proposed RCPs creation. There are a handful of cases where someone might scratch their head and ask, why that kid is being held for a misdemeanor, said Jimmy Hung, who heads the Juvenile Division at the King County Prosecutors Office. Executive Constantine highlights anti-racism and criminal legal system Kristin Elia, Executive Office, 206-477-8209, Main phone: 206-263-9600 Some King County mayors want to pause restorative justice program (Photo: DJ Martinez). With these changes, RCP has the potential to be a successful alternative to jail time for first-time juvenile offenders and will have my support.. And thats where I think the community comes in and they do a much much better job than we could ever do.. FIRS and Step Up focus on families experiencing family violence. 1) It helps real people in real time to deal with real issues up close and personal. Director . We should be allowed the same grace that the criminal legal system has been shown.. Restorative Community Pathways for youth offenders contrasts with traditional prosecution. On a more fundamental level, Hung said he believes that when it comes to community safety, the people who actually live in communities affected by crime know whats best for their community. Washingtons COVID-19 exposure notification app is scheduled to conclude May 11 in tandem with the end of the Public Health. The truth is, criminal rehabilitation and homelessness outreach must adopt the same strategy if theyre to succeed. 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. 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. So what happens when the juvenile, having completed the program from his bedroom computer, promptly goes back to school and this time actually shoots one or more people? Lily Anderson, Senior Social Worker, or the, Youth who are eligible for diversion, along with their parent or guardian, meet with a team of trained volunteers (learn more about the Partnership for Youth Justice program and theDiversion Community Accountability Board. And they come even as the coronavirus pandemic has forced cutbacks across nearly all branches of county government. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. 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. Restorative Community Pathways is a community response to harm that focuses on healing and . What must be made clear to them is that criminal behavior is not acceptable regardless of who does it, that they have a moral obligation to respect other peoples rights and property as others do toward them, and that there are long-term repercussions if the behavior continues. We create alternatives to incarceration for youth and young adults by rebuilding our communities through committed relationships centered on love, compassion, and consistency. The reality of the situation is that the criminal justice system often does more harm than good, he said, especially when it comes to kids. "Restorative Community Pathways (RCP) is an evidence-based strategy for holding young people who commit a first-time offense accountable, reducing youth incarceration, and racial disproportionality in the juvenile justice system," the statement continued. DominiqueDavisis the founder and CEO of Community Passageways. Cynthia Ricks-Maccotan, who works for a youth violence prevention program under Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, said the reason the RCP program allows referrals of youth who have committed offenses among those objected to by city leaders such as Backus and Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell is because those are the offenses that historically have been disproportionately more punitive for youth of color. Featured Image: A No New Youth Jail advocate protests outside the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center. FIRS is a collaborative intervention and approach to address adolescent family violence in a timely, therapeutic, andtrauma-informed alternative to formal court involvement. The current program includes: Criminal youth dictating how the program is run As a felony diversion and prevention program, CP is leading the way in reimagining and actively creating an alternative to todays criminal legal system. Thats why our Coalition did a deep dive into the school-to-prison pipeline. The same could be said for vehicle theft and other types of non-violent crime that undermine public safety and quality of life. If a young person goes through programming and they end up slipping back into behavior thats challenging or problematic, then people look at the work and say, Oh, well, this program didnt work, he said. KUOW Public Radio on Instagram: "On a Sunday morning last November, an What's Next in King County's Path to Ending Youth Detention? 2020 Reform from Multanomah County Awesome. 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.. Support: Support people already in the prison system. The Restorative Community Coalition Karen Pillar, director of policy for youth legal services office, cited stats from the last time the state studied recidivism rates for incarcerated youth. We want to break institutional racist systems. One had arrived in the facility earlier that day; another had spent nearly 640 days in detention for a first-degree rape charge. 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. Jasmin Tucker. TTY: Relay: 711 As part of RCP, youth are able to connect to services and interventions aimed at repairing the harm that they caused and reducing their likelihood of reoffending. Metro buses have been free to ride since the pandemic began, but fare collection could restart as soon as Oct. 1 and fare enforcement could resume as soon as Jan. 1. 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. King County Executive Constantine speaks to early success of evidence 2) You are investing in the future while healing the past. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Dominique often says it will take the community to heal the community--we are the ones we have been waiting for. Restorative Community Pathways has funds to offer the victims of crimes immediate restitution without going through a lengthy court process, Hung said. 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 were consulted on both fronts prior to todays announcement. Its no Bellingham, WA lawmakers deadlocked as drugs ravage Snohomish County, rest of state, Woman shot in West Seattle, hours after 2 killed on Capitol Hill, Oregon tells a cautionary tale about drugs, but were not listening, fare enforcement disproportionately targets. We specifically work with people who are impacted by a 911 incident, an arrest, investigation or other encounter with law enforcement, courts, the criminal legal system, or longer term incarceration. 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. Restorative Community - Covid19 Mutual Aid - Seattle | Facebook Jeremy Crowe, Restorative Programs Supervisor, (206) 477-6528,Jeremy.crowe@kingcounty.govor FIRS Team, (206)263-9001. Many youth avoid secure detention. Rivera said that the South King County mayors who objected to RCP do not understand the methodology of restorative justice or its effectiveness. In comparison, data from the State Department of Children, Youth, and Families showed that from 2011 through 2018 juveniles sent to state prison have a recidivism rate of between 49% and 58% annually. of sentencing relative to initial charges. Seattle, WA. , 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. Also, some downtown buildings are not open to the public due to a project to close the Administration Building and relocate the agencies affected. She said 50 percent of incarcerated youth end up returning to the criminal justice system. In January 2022, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn proposed a pause to the countys Restorative Community Pathways program. 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. , The FIRS team works with families to assess risk, identify needs, complete safety planning and refer for appropriateservices. To be fair, the point isnt entirely false. These can include receiving services, doingcommunity service, or paying a victim to compensate for their financial loss. Instead of jails, we will have homes, schools, jobs, and a community that stands with our youth. respectful family relationships so that all family members feel safe at home. 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. Learn more about Restorative Community Pathways. Some money would also be shifted toward youth marijuana-prevention programs. The county currently has a $4.7 million contract with a private security firm to conduct fare enforcement, but the new goal is to have a new program in place by 2022. Dunn said his concerns with the program are with some felonies that the program included such as certain assault charges, which he said he believes youth should have to see a judge in order to be held accountable. King County Executive Dow Constantine provided details and updates on the early successes of Restorative Community Pathways, a community-based juvenile diversion program. Its a community problem. 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. The ripple effect is a tsunami of deep economic, generational, civic and historical traumas. The Youth Steering Committee will be responsible for development of the RCP process after program launch. Restorative Community Pathways (RCP) is the best way to reduce the juvenile crime rate in King County, said Jimmy Hung, Chief Deputy Prosecutor at King Countys Juvenile Division. The KCPAO will forward. In a normal, sane criminal justice system, the law-abiding authorities run the show and the criminals are held accountable. This is a new "restorative justice" program that provides alternatives to jail time. Rantz: Prosecutor says 'get used to' no jail time for teen gun crimes A bill partially unwinding a 2021 policing reform clears the Legislature. Almost all the proposals will require the approval of the Metropolitan King County Council, which will review Constantines budget in the coming weeks. Kids engage in risk-taking, Hung said. University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business. The first program started in 2017 with a few youth and young adults, to date, Community Passageways serves over 500 young people a year with multiple programs, including school based, court advocacy, diversion, community support (emergency response), gang intervention, healing circles, youth advocacy, and family support.
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