A Message from our Care & Closure Project Team
Care & Closure: a plan for youth healing, accountability, and community safety. This is King County’s effort to expand community-based alternatives to secure youth detention and close the youth detention center – centered on youth well-being and care, accountability, and community safety. We share project updates and upcoming opportunities to be involved in the effort each month.
What We're Reading
The Sentencing Project released a new report highlighting the effectiveness of community-based alternatives to secure youth detention on producing safe communities and positive outcomes for young people. Check out the report here.
The report showcases evidence on different alternatives including mentors, credible messenger programs, cognitive behavioral therapy, restorative justice, wraparound care, and family-focused therapy and supports. It finds that the most effective alternatives are ones where supports are layered together and tailored to meet a youth’s specific needs. This research aligns and supports what we have heard from youth impacted by the legal system – that expanded and culturally-specific supports to meet their unique needs are the most effective!
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Join the Advisory Committee Meeting
Join us at our next Advisory Committee meeting on Monday, July 24, 2023 from 4 to 5:30 pm. The meeting will be virtual and open to the public. You can find more information about the meeting and previous meetings here.
We are seeking additional young people with experience in the youth legal system, parents and family members, and harmed community members to help create recommendations for community-based alternatives to youth detention. If you know of someone who might be interested, please let us know!
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Find Us in the Community
The Care & Closure team will be out and about at several community resource events this summer. Stop by our table to find more about the project and check out other great community resources:
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Saturday, July 29 from 11 am to 2 pm – Health and Resource Fair [flyer here]
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August, August 17 from 3 to 5 pm – ReOpp Back to School Drive [flyer here]
Do you know of other community events that we should attend? Let us know!
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We’ve Launched Subcommittees!
As we shared last month, the Advisory Committee has launched subcommittees to bring in more unique perspectives to this work and focus on developing recommendations. The subcommittees are centered on three elements of this work:
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Identifying alternatives to secure youth detention and placements
- Strengthening community infrastructure
- Engaging impacted communities
We are seeking impacted youth, family members, and harmed community members to be part of the subcommittees and use their experiences to shape the recommendations. You can express your interest here, and community members can receive $50/hour compensation for participating.
Help Others Get Connected
Please share this monthly newsletter to anyone you think might be interested in learning about this effort. Folks can sign up to get these monthly newsletters and project updates here. Folks can also learn more about the project on the website here. Lastly, check out our new two-pager if you want a high-level summary of the project here. Translated versions of the two-pager are available on the project website here.
Do you have any questions or want to get involved in this project? Connect with us!
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