(The Center Square) – Members of the King County Council are attempting to counter County Executive Dow Constantine’s plan to close the Judge Patricia J. Clark Children and Family Justice Center.
Councilmember Reagan Dunn proposed Motion 2024-0104 , opposing the closure of King County's youth detention center, and the council's Law and Justice Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to send the measure to the full council.
Constantine has worked to transform the region’s youth detention system. This includes the Care and Closure initiative, which ultimately aims to close the Judge Patricia J. Clark Children and Family Justice Center. The original goal was to close the detention facility by 2025, but that has been revised to at least 2028.
The center, which was intended to rehabilitate juvenile offenders, opened in 2020 with a $242 million price tag.
“I maintain that by focusing on ending secure detention and closing the juvenile detention facility, the county perpetuates a lose-lose situation – one where the safety of the public is at risk, and juvenile offenders have less access to rehabilitative services that help get their lives on the right track,” Dunn said in a news release . “Instead, the county must place its time and energy on improving our existing juvenile justice system.”
The Care and Closure initiative made six recommendations to change the region’s youth detention system. Out of six recommendations, two did not have consensus support from the Care and Closure Advisory Committee.
The two recommendations were: create and operate a respite and receiving center where law enforcement would take youth under 18 years old upon arrest, and provide short-term respite housing at the respite and receiving center.
The Judge Patricia J. Clark Children and Family Justice Center houses juvenile detainees aging from 12 to 17, who are awaiting adjudication in King County Juvenile Court and ordered into secure detention.
Last week, King County was awarded $450,000 from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to support Constantine’s intention to transform the region’s youth detention system.
Statistics show the rate of juvenile violent crimes has increased over time, exacerbating the county’s juvenile detention challenges. Last year there were 177 violent felonies committed by juveniles. This includes cases of murder, gun violence, drive-by shootings, domestic violent, rape and residential burglary.
According to Dunn, juvenile violent felony filings are up 57% from 2022, and up 146% from 2021.
The motion will be voted on by the full King County Council as early as Aug. 20.
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