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 ultimately close the current facility at the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center. This newsletter will provide bi-monthly updates.
Join Us at the Next Advisory Committee Meeting
Our Advisory Committee meeting schedule has changed. Meetings will be held bi-monthly on the 4th Monday of that month (unless there is a holiday) from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. We will use this meeting space to provide updates on the Care & Closure project and get feedback from community. Check out the 2025 meeting dates below:
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- February 24, 2025 (January reschedule)
- March 24, 2025
- May 19, 2025 (due to Memorial Day)
- November 17, 2025 (due to Thanksgiving)
You can find more information on the meetings and the previous meeting notes on the project website.
OJJDP Spotlights Care & Closure Youth Engagement
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) supports many jurisdictions aiming to implement alternatives to youth detention and incarceration. Being part of the Building Local Continuums of Care to Support Youth Success (BLCC) cohort is a chance for us to learn from each other. Care & Closure contributed to that learning as a feature in a webinar earlier this month. Celia Jackson, King County Director of Criminal Legal System Transformation presented on the project’s youth engagement. Aleasya Vanwert, Care and Closure Advisory Committee member and impacted youth, joined Celia in a panel discussion. They both highlighted youth engagement strategies and the impact of those efforts and shared tips for other jurisdictions to consider. OJJDP has been instrumental in the advancement of Care & Closure, and we are greatly appreciative of their support. Check it out at BLCC Webinar: Effective Youth Engagement.
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Care & Closure in Community
Win Regardless hosted a basketball-themed New Year’s Eve event for youth in Kent. Jeremy Winzer, Executive Director of Win Regardless and Care & Closure Advisory Committee member welcomed close to 200 youth, families, and friends impacted by gun violence, and several representatives from community organizations who support youth. The event recognized youth lost to gun violence and honored their families in attendance.
There was music, food, contests, and live performances by local artists. Care & Closure Advisory Committee members Paulette Makala was honored as an impacted family member, Aleasya Vanwert sang one of her original songs, and Tresean Griffin captured the event with his photography. Most attendees brought in the new year playing basketball, in a fun-filled, sober, and safe environment. This event exemplified the power of community coming together to create spaces where kids can be kids. Check out the Seattle Times article. Building relationships, maintaining connections to youth in community, and supporting efforts like these is the Care & Closure way. 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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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:
Upcoming Community Events
February 22, 2025 3rd Annual Black Ourstory Resource Fair – Lem’s Life Enrichment Bookstore
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