Its just sending the wrong message basically saying that one kid is better than the other, when theyre both redeemable.. The rise in gun crime has been associated with adults who havent been involved with gun crime before, not kids, Hung said. Ferrell has described the program as easily fixable, stating that accountable and judicial oversight needs to incorporated. , 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. In a recent news story by KUOW (NPR-Seattle), King County prosecutor candidate and Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell called attention to the types of crimes that would fall under the RCP. Sentencing in suitcase murders | Podcast, King County Councilmember proposes regional ban on public drug use, King County Crisis Care Levy passing in first election results, Washingtons COVID-19 exposure notification app to end May 11, Firearms scheme leads to federal charges | King County Crime Dive. Controversial King County program diverts young offenders from incarceration for certain crimes. The goal of work like ours is to bring safety to our community by helping people heal; both those who have been accused of causing harm and those who have been harmed. RCP at its core is a program that provides healing and restoration for youth. While most cases referred to Restorative Community Pathways involve alleged misdemeanors, the program expands the number of eligible allegations to include more felonies than the previous. These can include receiving services, doingcommunity service, or paying a victim to compensate for their financial loss. 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. I frankly have no idea what people who live in neighborhoods where bullets are flying past their head are going through, Hung said. interventions at the Patricia Clark Child and Family Justice Center and in the community. We know that felonies carry with them collateral consequences that affect a persons ability to get a job, or get education, or to get housing all of those things really lead to de-stabilize that individual and their neighborhood and their family, King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg said. Most of theseservices are offered without the filing of criminal charges or formal court processing. She argued that RCP was designed to better address and rehabilitate these behaviors and do so better than the court system, criminal records and incarceration have ever done. 3) Become a mentor, case interceptor or manager, court natigator. 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. 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. Jimmy Hung, chief deputy prosecutor of the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Offices juvenile division, spoke to the thousands of juvenile prosecution referrals his office would typically receive in past years and the difficult decisions he and his office have had to make about when it makes sense to bring a juvenile into the court system. 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. At the end of a Thursday in early March, 28 teenagers sat in the King County Juvenile Detention Center on Alder Street in Seattles Central District. 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. Collective Justice, Creative Justice, Community Passageways, and CHOOSE 180 have worked together with the Department of Public Defense to co-create an alternative to the juvenile court system that has been written into the King County Executive's biannual budget and is set to begin . Seattle, WA. 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 . We separate the two to a fault, he said. Contact the Council: Main phone: 206-477-1000: TTY/TDD: Relay: 711: Contact all 9 . Its emotionally rewarding, humanizing and good business to reclaim lives and invest in human potential. Now, we look at how its actually run and our recommendations on how to change it. She believes diverting these kinds of juvenile offenders from courts could allow them to escape accountability. "RCP at its core is a program that provides healing and restoration for youth. PO Box 31026, Bellingham, WA 98228 Instead of police, prosecutors, and judges, we operate with mentors, counselors, and circle keepers. 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. . The very first example cited of a rehabilitation even for serious offenses is a boy bringing a gun to school and threatening to shoot someone during a confrontation. So last November, King County launched a new diversion process for youth called Restorative Community Pathways. More savings will come from continuing to limit the countys jail population, Constantine said. Be the first to get new stories sent straight into your inbox. None of these resources are provided to the victims of crimes in the traditional justice system. Sean Goode, the director of Choose 180, said ending youth detention as it currently exists will require the county to invest more faith in programs like his. Step-Up accepts referrals from court staff, community providers and families and facilitates both individual and groupinterventions at the Patricia Clark Child and Family Justice Center and in the community. Thats why RCP exists. The ripple effect is a tsunami of deep economic, generational, civic and historical traumas. 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, said Sheila Ater Capestany, Children Youth and Young Adults Division Director in DCHS. Almost all the proposals will require the approval of the Metropolitan King County Council, which will review Constantines budget in the coming weeks. 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. 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. Jeremy Crowe, RestorativePrograms Supervisor, 206-477-6528, Find certified small business contractors and suppliers, For Families Experiencing Violence in the Home. Director . 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. The new center was built next to the decaying, 69-year-old Youth Services Center. We are living with the side effects of inherited, complex and inhumane systems that need renovation. The truth is, criminal rehabilitation and homelessness outreach must adopt the same strategy if theyre to succeed. (Photo: DJ Martinez). Theres nothing about that new building that feels like a therapeutic space, he said. Rivera said that the South King County mayors who objected to RCP do not understand the methodology of restorative justice or its effectiveness. 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. Many criminals, particularly criminal youths, have been victimized in the same way they victimize others. 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. Juveniles who threaten physical and deadly harm to innocent people, especially in schools, needs more than a time out devoid of legal oversight. Under the existing system, 99.9% of the resources are directed toward the offender and next to no resources are given to the victim, Hung said. Khandelwal called it a a long overdue departure from a racist, ineffective and failed legal system.. 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. Jay Inslee for his expected signing. But the windowless cells and steel doors are a reminder that the purpose of the new building is unchanged. If someone had an infectious disease, Goode said, You would isolate that person, keep them away from others for a period of time to keep them from being a harm to themselves or others, and simultaneously treat the disease. Although that model sounds similar to youth detention, Goode said, choosing new caregivers and administrators would be a game changer.. Lily Anderson, Senior Social Worker, or theStep-UpTeam (206)-477-2071,lily.anderson@kingcounty.gov. , 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. 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. 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. 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. And so someone who is drafting a motion like that just doesnt understand it.. The goals of FIRSinclude:decreasing violence in the home,preventing further police contact, and increasing family safety and well-being. TTY: Relay: 711 Jun 2022 - Present11 months. 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. On the other hand, RCP provides an equal amount of resources to both the offender and the victim, Hung said. 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. Youll send in juveniles without any prior offenses on their record. And racial disparities persist: nearly half of the children currently in detention are Black, and a quarter are Latinx; only a fifth are white. Jasmin Tucker. Many youth avoid secure detention. The great thing about Restorative Community Pathways is that the folks in the community who run this program treat the person who has been harmed and the person who has caused harm as equals and they provide support for both of them, Hung said. Every dollar you donated helps to prevent youth from going to the prison system while realizing their full potential. In 2020, the Metropolitan King County Council established Restorative Community Pathways, a coalition of youth serving organizations and peer navigators, including Collective Justice who focuses on Restorative Community Conferencing for youth. It could be a medical clinic. The FIRS Center is staffed 24/7 by Pioneer Human Services. Some restorative justice advocates including people who spent time in youth detention centers challenge the additional scrutiny shown to young people charged with serious crimes, particularly violent ones. The number of jailed adults in the county dropped from about 1,900 before the coronavirus pandemic to about 1,300 now, according to the county. King County hasnt resolved how it will tackle the next four years of juvenile justice reform. Brockman said she believes restorative justice and public safety can coexist and that restorative justice that works to rehabilitate rather than punish is a public safety strategy. 2 dead, 1 critically wounded in shooting at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle, Think Seattle-area property taxes are rising fast? The goal of Step-Up is for youth to stop violence and abuse toward their family and developrespectful family relationships so that all family members feel safe at home. 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. 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. Mental Health Therapist. The requirements of the agreement are defined by law and guided by principlesof Restorative Justice using a Positive Youth Development Model. Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. But, Hung said, reasonably this kind of situation would make more sense to be dealt with between the families in a community-based approach, rather than to drag that student into the juvenile justice system. Restorative justice is about public safety. 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. Show them new paths. SEATTLE The King County Council on Tuesday voted Tuesday to approve funding for a groundbreaking criminal justice diversion program that will let community groups decide what punishment -- if. Join us weekly on Spotify as we talk about the business of justice, the industries involved in mass incarceration, and the experiences of people who have worked in and lived through the criminal justice systems. In my opinion, thats a fundamental misunderstanding of what restorative justice is. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), to guide the County toward an end to youth detention, Patricia H Clark Children and Family Justice Center, Filipino Restaurant CheBogz Rallies Support for Beacon Hill Grand Opening, Weekend Reads | COVID Responses Across the U.S.: What Worked, What Didnt, and What Made a Difference, OPINION | Guns Have Become the Tools of Cowards, OPINION | Get in the Game for Girls Sports. ChangeWA is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) organization focused on advancing common sense policies around smart growth, public safety, government accountability and good governance throughout Washington state. Restorative justice seeks to address the root cause of an offenders problematic behavior and offer real justice and restitution for the victim, according to the prosecuting attorneys office. Hung said data over many decades suggest how effective restorative justice can be in changing behaviors of juvenile offenders, especially when compared to the effects that incarceration has been shown to have on youth. 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. The repurposing is the easier part of the conversation.. Also, some downtown buildings are not open to the public due to a project to close the Administration Building and relocate the agencies affected. 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. He received his PhD in the streets, from the University of Rainier and Henderson. Even though he was involved in making quick money, he had a desire to give back through coaching and personal training. For the same period, 233 juveniles were charged through traditional prosecution, with 47, or just over twenty percent, seeing new case referrals. In 2016,Dominiqueestablished Community Passageways, after multiple gun related deaths and incidents on Rainier Avenue. KC Councilmember Reagan Dunn wanted to pause the program after local mayors expressed concern. Teaching & Advancement Project Manager. The courtrooms in the old center were cramped and gave little privacy to young defendants, while the new facilitys courtrooms offer more breathing room. team are to define what restorative practices are and are not, identify pathways for gathering relevant qualitative data, assess the readiness and engagement levels of schools and staff, and evolve and strengthen relationships between the team, the department, schools, and other central office staff and community stakeholders. Hung believes that the Countys decision to hold those young people in jail instead of referring them to service providers means that all other aspects of our society have failed, and that the failure is presenting itself when the best option is locking the kid up in detention. Bringing an end to that practice, Hung said, will require the County to keep scaling up the services it can provide to young people in crisis. In time, he decided he needed to do no more harm to the community and he was going to be a positive contributor. Advocacy Program Coordinator. 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. Restorative Community Pathways (RCP) was implemented in November. A restorative inquiry process is used to help youth take responsibility for their behavior, cultivate empathy and make amends for hurtful behavior. Our community-centered and evidence-based model provides an alternative to the current criminal legal system. FIRS and Step Up focus on families experiencing family violence. According to the countys presentation, those include: Unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree is another charge that Ferrell said shouldnt be eligible for diversion. A restorative practice approach is used with teens and parents together to address violent incidents that have occurred. Restorative Community Pathways has funds to offer the victims of crimes immediate restitution without going through a lengthy court process, Hung said. The Youth Steering Committee will serve as the community-based decision-making body for RCP design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Karen Pillar, director of policy for youth legal services office, cited stats from the last time the state studied recidivism rates for incarcerated youth. Kids engage in risk-taking, Hung said. We provide youth mentors and access to programs focused on personal healing, identity development, and leadership building. Joined by King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, departmental program staff, and community-based organizations, Executive Constantine spoke about the countys commitment to connecting youth with services that meet their basic needs and improve community connection and safety. Photo courtesy of King County. , The FIRS Center is a unique respite facility within the Patricia Clark Children and Family Justice Center offering analternative to secure detention for youth referred for family violence. Our community-centered, evidence-based model provides an alternative to the current criminal legal system. Diversion meetings happen in the community closest to where ayouth lives, with either a staff member or volunteers. 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. But, after seeing the actual effects that incarceration has on people, his view shifted, Hung said. It has great artwork and lounge areas, but that doesnt make it therapeutic., Hung knows that the aesthetic changes to the detention center dont amount to a kind of restorative justice. A bill partially unwinding a 2021 policing reform clears the Legislature. 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. From reducing prison sentences to developing thriving young adults, Community Passageways impact on our young people and the community is wide-reaching. Young people kept in the community through their dedication and our support have gone on to enroll in college, start businesses, graduate from high school, and help rebuild our communities. Seattle, Washington, United States. Homelessness, criminalization of poverty, the Covid crisis, technology and social justice issues are only part of the problems we face. 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. University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business. Join to view profile. Office Address: Dominique often says it will take the community to heal the community--we are the ones we have been waiting for. 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.