A Message from our Care & Closure Team
Care & Closure is King County’s plan for youth healing, accountability, and community safety. The plan outlines recommendations and next actions to expand community-based alternatives to secure youth detention and close the youth detention center. We share updates and upcoming opportunities to be involved in the project each month.
Join Us at the Next Advisory Committee Meeting
We have reconvened the Advisory Committee to specifically discuss two Care & Closure recommendations that require more deliberation – the proposed respite and receiving center and short-term respite housing. The Advisory Committee meetings are held on the fourth Monday of each month from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. unless there is a holiday.
Our next meeting will be held on Monday, October 28. You can find more information on the meetings and the previous meeting notes on the project website.
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Care & Closure Presents at the LINC Conference
The Center for Children & Youth Justice (CCYJ) hosted its 3rd annual conference on September 27 at Highline College in Des Moines, WA. The Leadership, Intervention, and Change (LINC) Conference provided an opportunity for experts from across the state and country to share information and training with professionals and community members on youth justice related topics. The conference agenda included topics on building resilience, relationship development, gender-specific intervention, community safety, and more.
Care & Closure was invited and presented in one of the conference breakout sessions. The presentation included some history of youth justice in King County, an introduction to the Care & Closure proposed recommendations, and the next actions to advance alternatives to youth detention. The session reached capacity and was attended by representatives from King County, the City of Seattle, a host of community organizations and members, and others.
The Care & Closure team is always seeking to share information about the project. If you are aware of opportunities our team can present to organizations, community, or conferences, please reach out to Jawara McDuffie at jmcdudffie@kingcounty.gov.
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Care & Closure Advisory Committee Retreats
The Care & Closure Advisory Committee held their 2nd and 3rd retreats on August 28 and September 18. Members gathered at the Patricia Clark Children and Family Justice Center (CCFJC) to further deliberate on proposed recommendation #1 (Create, operate, and maintain a 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week respite and receiving center where law enforcement will take all youth under 18 years old upon arrest unless they can be released upon entering the center) and proposed recommendation #2 (Provide very short-term respite housing at the respite and receiving center for youth who cannot go home due to safety concerns). In this phase of the project, the Advisory Committee is tasked with building stronger consensus on these two recommendations.
The Advisory Committee members took a tour of Family Intervention and Restorative Services (FIRS) located at the CCFJC and discussed ways to build on spaces the county is currently utilizing. There were also discussions on operations and safety in the proposed spaces. Members identified challenges associated with those spaces and began developing solutions that would resolve many of the concerns previously expressed in the final report. The Advisory Committee is scheduled to hold two workshops scheduled for October 23 and November 6 to continue building consensus on the proposed recommendations.
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Care & Closure Community Engagement
Here is a list of some of the community engagement activities the Care & Closure team participated in during the months of August & September:
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August 13, 2024: Seattle Youth Employment Program End of Internship Celebration, Seattle
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August 15, 2024: ReOpp Back to School Drive & Resource Fair, Tukwila
- August 16, 2024: Pro Se Potential Impacted Youth Storytelling Workshop, Federal Way
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August 17, 2024: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Baptist Church Community Backpack, Engagement, and Outreach Day, Renton
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September 7, 2024: Progress Pushers Back to School Bash, Renton
Please let us know how we can best support the work your organizations are doing for impacted youth across King County!
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Full King County Council Takes Position on the Future of Youth Detention
On August 27, the King County Council unanimously approved (8-0) a non-binding motion proposed by Councilmember Reagan Dunn to continue maintaining operations of secure detention at the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center (CCFJC). Following multiple sessions in the Law and Justice Committee, Councilmember Dunn’s motion was moved to full council for a vote.
Over 100 community members provided public comment; most were in support of the county continuing efforts to identify and stand up alternatives to replace our current system of youth detention.
Executive Constantine remains committed to creating effective, supportive responses for youth, focused on preventing violence, ensuring accountability, promoting healing for victims, and getting youth back on track.
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Quick Links: Recommendations & Next Actions
Over the past two years, King County Executive Dow Constantine and county departments have been partnering with impacted community members, systems partners, and community organizations to identify better, more effective alternatives to youth when they cause serious harm instead of secure detention.
In January 2024, Executive Constantine published a report that outlines six recommendations and next actions to implement them, highlights the process of developing the recommendations, and includes the findings from community engagement. Check out the two-page summary and the full report.
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Help Others Get Connected
Please share this monthly newsletter to anyone you think might be interested in learning about this effort! To stay up to date:
Other King County Announcements
Partners in Water connects King County Wastewater Treatment Division workgroups with community organizations to advance mutually beneficial goals related to WTD operations and services. There will be two pilot projects to kick off the program: grants of $25,000 are being offered to co-create a career development program with Human Resources; and 4 grants of $27,500 to collaborate on improving community engagement efforts with the Community Services team. To learn more, visit the Partners in Water website where you will find the grant details and video recordings of past information sessions.
Feel free to contact us via email at partnersinwater@kingcounty.gov with any questions, or if you'd like to discuss your project idea in more detail. All prospective applicants are welcome to sign up for a short 1-on-1 consultation with staff on their projects. advance mutually beneficial goals related to WTD operations and services.
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