One had arrived in the facility earlier that day; another had spent nearly 640 days in detention for a first-degree rape charge. Seattle Times staff reporter King County will keep moving forward with a new juvenile restorative justice program, passed in the wake of 2020's mass racial justice protests, despite the. 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. If you or someone you care about is being negatively impacted by public health and safety issues, we are here for you. Whether youre are in crisis now, or its after the fact, we have tools and people with experience to help you diagram the situation and build a roadmap. However, just as there are many homeless who have no desire to reenter normal society, there are criminals who plan to continue that lifestyle. Youth who successfully complete a diversion have the addedbenefit of handling a criminal incident without having a criminal conviction. There are many, many steps still to take.. . Bellingham, WA 98226, RCC is a 501c3 non-profit organization | Copyright 2023 The Restorative Community Coalition, Whatcom County Jail Trauma Chart the RADD-RAT Symptoms, Stop Punishing Taxpayers Start Rebuilding Community, Whatcom County Jail Trauma Chart the RADD-RAT Symptoms. 1) It helps real people in real time to deal with real issues up close and personal. Support: Support people already in the prison system. Community testifies in support of restorative justice for youth in This 2020 short documentary presented by the Seattle Seahawks, tells the story of Restorative Community Pathways, a program that seeks to alter the current juvenile legal system and instead. Reintegrate: Ensure a smooth, successful integration into the community. Whether its becoming a mentor or our helping with vital behind-the-scenes administration, your volunteer time restores and saves lives! 2020 Reform from Multanomah County Awesome. 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. Are you a young person in the Seattle-area who wants to participate in our programs? 410 W. Bakerview Rd Suite 110, Rm #145 Instead of court, some people who've committed a crime could. Last July, Constantine made a commitment to guide the County toward an end to youth detention by 2025, promising to transition the new detention center to other uses and [shift] public dollars away from systems that are rooted in oppression and into those that maintain public health and safety, and help people on a path to success.. , When a youth completes all requirements in the Diversion Agreement, they do not have a criminal record and no charges are filed. We have a four-pronged approach to community justice: Prevention: Keep youth on a good path. Restorative Community Pathways. Seahawks Social Justice | Seattle Seahawks - Seahawks.com Contact the Council: Main phone: 206-477-1000: TTY/TDD: Relay: 711: Contact all 9 . Resolving a case using the diversion process can helpyouth and their family access helpful services in our community. 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 same could be said for vehicle theft and other types of non-violent crime that undermine public safety and quality of life. Seattle, WA. Our Team CHOOSE 180 Ryan Abbott, a Sheriffs Office spokesperson, said Constantine did not speak to Johanknecht about the cuts and said they were trying to determine if they would lead to cuts in service. Dunn also proposed the motion on behalf of the mayors of Auburn, Federal Way, Kent and Renton cities that have experienced a major uptick in crime and with mayors who have previously opposed the Restorative Community Pathways program. In his 20 years of experience as a prosecutor, Hung said his perspective on the prison system has changed. Many of us know that something is wrong with the criminal justice system, but we dont know what to do about it or where to start. The next county prosecutor can either heed those lessons when it comes to public safety, or force residents to suffer the consequences yet more failed public policies. Learn more about Restorative Community Pathways. The ripple effect is a tsunami of deep economic, generational, civic and historical traumas. The rise in gun crime has been associated with adults who havent been involved with gun crime before, not kids, Hung said. 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. Kristin Elia, Executive Office, 206-477-8209, Main phone: 206-263-9600 The final steps toward the goal of ending youth detention by 2025 will require the County to agree to non-detention-based alternatives that can support young people in the most dire circumstances including people for whom the County doesnt see a space in the existing restorative justice programs. "This restorative community pathway builds up the young person, sees them as a possibility to be developed and not a problem to be solved, while simultaneously making sure that the harmed party . 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. She is a strong champion for mental health and addiction recovery, strengthening our schools, reforming the criminal justice system, and affordable housing. All crimes that hurt the safety of our communities such as shoplifting rings, home burglaries, and car thefts need to be taken seriously so that folks are not re-victimized and the security of our neighborhoods is preserved, Dunn said. King County Executive Dow Constantine on Wednesday proposed several new initiatives to cut funding from the county Sheriffs Office, shift resources away from the traditional criminal justice system toward community-based alternatives and move away from traditional fare enforcement on county buses. It's a diversion program for some first-time criminal offenders. The Youth Steering Committee will be responsible for development of the RCP process after program launch. These can include receiving services, doingcommunity service, or paying a victim to compensate for their financial loss. RCP will continue to be evaluated to determine its effectiveness in outcomes for both the youth referred to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office and the harmed party with the goal of improving public safety in King County. Over time, the RCP Youth Steering Committee will develop to be directed by youth and young adults who have completed the RCP program. They will be responsible for the direction of RCP, hold a central role in supporting community evaluations of RCP, and support in the distribution of funds. Program providers report 86 percent of youth participants are meeting their program goals and 94 percent are increasing connection with adults, family, and the community. Our diagrams and tools provides roadmaps and a wealth of information for people interested in big-system shifts for the local to national incarceration and criminal justice systems. 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. Over 25 people signed up to testify in support of the Restorative Community Pathways program. FAMILY INTERVENTION AND RESTORATIVE SERVICES (FIRS). The only thing Hung as a prosecutor can promise the victim is that he will listen to them, and even in cases in which restitution to the victim is ordered, it is rarely ever paid out. Kids engage in risk-taking, Hung said. , Making Diversion Programs More Culturally Responsive. Restorative Community Pathways Community Navigator. Show them new paths. 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. Thats why our Coalition did a deep dive into the school-to-prison pipeline. It would launch by 2022 and would be the countys first diversion program, in this form, for felony offenders, said Anita Khandelwal, director of the King County Public Defenders office. They will also develop accountable relationships with community organizations to ensure that the work of RCP continues to be rooted in youth liberation and healing, not punishment. Jeremy Crowe, Restorative Programs Supervisor, (206) 477-6528, Step-Up is an internationally recognized adolescent family violence intervention program designed to address youth, violence (including threats, intimidation, property destruction, degrading language and physical violence) toward, family members. Restorative Community Pathways (RCP) is the best way to reduce the juvenile crime rate in King County, said Jimmy Hung, Chief Deputy Prosecutor at King Countys Juvenile Division. And Im like really? 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. A proposal to pause the recently implemented Restorative Community Pathways program, a program intended to divert juvenile criminal cases from the juvenile justice system into a. None of these resources are provided to the victims of crimes in the traditional justice system. Bottomline, the accumulated effect is that we are ending habitual trauma cycles that plague individuals, families and the whole community network. Below is a snapshot of our effectiveness between 2017 and 2018. off prison time compared to initial charges. KC Councilmember Reagan Dunn wanted to pause the program after local mayors expressed concern. Teaching & Advancement Project Manager. We have civic leadership opportunities, mentoring, and change-making resources available so you can feel confident and be an effective ally for those who have been silenced by the criminal legal sector. King County to continue new juvenile restorative justice program 97 likes, 2 comments - KUOW Public Radio (@kuow) on Instagram: "On a Sunday morning last November, an 18-year-old named Seattle Savior Wheeler crouched behind a ." KUOW Public Radio on Instagram: "On a Sunday morning last November, an 18-year-old named Seattle Savior Wheeler crouched behind a bed, clutching a gun. Henok Gebreyohannes. 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. 2023 Change Washington. It would work with already established local organizations, like Choose 180, Creative Justice and Community Pathways. 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 Programs focus on prevention and early intervention using three models: Family Intervention and Restorative Services (FIRS), Step Up, and Diversion. Instead, that money would be used to help people vacate old marijuana-related convictions and settle old fines and court fees. King County group hopes to prove diversion program can be 'far more With everything going on in this country youre going to allow people to go to a program with no checkback thats brought a gun to school?. When you make that distinction, the kid feels it. In my opinion, thats a fundamental misunderstanding of what restorative justice is. It could be a service center for homeless youth and their families, or a place where young people could have access to detox services. He argued that these juveniles are still children, just trying to discover their own identity in a system that is treating them like an adult criminal and not a child in need of guidance. Community Passageways is driven by the belief that guidance and support are more effective in inspiring people to make positive choices, seeing their unlimited potential and envisioning a future where they can live their lives fully. 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. If passed, the property tax levy will help fund behavioral health infrastructure in the region. We are living with the side effects of inherited, complex and inhumane systems that need renovation. Like with the homeless, outreach to juvenile offenders need to be able to identify one from the other so that efforts arent wasted on the wrong people. Lily Anderson, Senior Social Worker, or theStep-UpTeam (206)-477-2071,lily.anderson@kingcounty.gov. PDF Seattle Public Schools In comparison, data from the State Department of Children, Youth, and Families showed that from 2011 through 2018 juveniles sent to state prison have a recidivism rate of between 49% and 58% annually. Be the first to get new stories sent straight into your inbox. Gun violence related to gang activity has actually remained relatively stable over the course of the pandemic, Hung said. Hung said RCP is important because it not only diverts kids from a system that is harmful, but it also provides kids with a level of support the courts simply cant come close to. RCP at its core is a program that provides healing and restoration for youth. If you look at some of the young people who are engaged in some of these most serious offenses, said Hung, I have some serious questions about how were going to ensure public safety and also have no detention facility at all. Rantz: Prosecutor says 'get used to' no jail time for teen gun crimes Join to view profile. Instead of frustration and denial, we build purpose and opportunity. Juveniles who threaten physical and deadly harm to innocent people, especially in schools, needs more than a time out devoid of legal oversight. This includes participating in the hiring of community navigators by RCP consortium members.