restorative community pathways seattle

, 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. SEATTLE The King County Council on Tuesday voted Tuesday to approve funding for a groundbreaking criminal justice diversion program that will let community groups decide what punishment -- if. However, that doesnt take away their moral agency, and the worst thing to teach them is that their behavior and subsequent arrest wasnt their fault, but was due to systemic oppression. Rep. Harris-Talley has spent over 20 years building powerful movements for change in our region and statewide . Whats listed their charge provides the legal basis for a judge to deprive them of their freedom. We have a four-pronged approach to community justice: Prevention: Keep youth on a good path. of youth and young adults were able to remain in the community. We believe that criminalization and ostracization are ineffective deterrents to unproductive behaviors and that the carceral systempolicing, jail, and state supervisionfurther harms people who have already been negatively impacted by trauma. Reintegrate: Ensure a smooth, successful integration into the community. Contact King County Executive Dow Constantine and tell him not to move forward with the RCP for adults! 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. Instead, that money would be used to help people vacate old marijuana-related convictions and settle old fines and court fees. Kids engage in risk-taking, Hung said. While at the FIRS Center, youth engagein activities and discussions to empower, teach, and challenge them to take responsibility, make amends, restorefamily relationships, and promote positive youth development. If someone had an infectious disease, Goode said, You would isolate that person, keep them away from others for a period of time to keep them from being a harm to themselves or others, and simultaneously treat the disease. Although that model sounds similar to youth detention, Goode said, choosing new caregivers and administrators would be a game changer.. He said the cuts equate to about 30 patrol deputies or an approximate 22% reduction in 911 service to unincorporated areas of King County.. If a young person goes through programming and they end up slipping back into behavior thats challenging or problematic, then people look at the work and say, Oh, well, this program didnt work, he said. Goode also emphasized the importance of the physical space used to house children in need of long-term care and supervision. . Dominique was a gifted football player, who had to make the decision between his dream to play professionally or survive, he chose the latter. An important thing to note is that the crime rate in the last two years has increased among adults, not children. , The FIRS team works with families to assess risk, identify needs, complete safety planning and refer for appropriateservices. Decades of research have shown that putting kids through the criminal justice system pushes them toward criminal behavior rather than away from it. King County has historically proven that diversion works to reduce juvenile crime, and thats exactly what RCP aims to do. Paul Faruq Kiefer is a journalist, historian, and born-and-bred Seattleite. Instead of suspensions and expulsions, we strive for restorative and culturally-relevant programming. King County group hopes to prove diversion program can be 'far more There should be real ramifications, including prosecution, for these dangerous crimes.. If youre a gang leader, who are you going to recruit to carry out your thefts and burglaries? On the other hand, RCP provides an equal amount of resources to both the offender and the victim, Hung said. It could be a medical clinic. A restorative practice approach is used with teens and parents together to address violent incidents that have occurred. Featured Image: A No New Youth Jail advocate protests outside the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center. We are living with the side effects of inherited, complex and inhumane systems that need renovation. Director . Diversion: Keep people out of the prison system and in community. From a legal perspective, this would be a felony robbery. One had arrived in the facility earlier that day; another had spent nearly 640 days in detention for a first-degree rape charge. Restorative Community Pathways is an evidence and community-based program to help change a youths behavior, reducing crime and creating a better future for themselves, their families, and our community, said Executive Constantine. See more of Covid19 Mutual Aid - Seattle on Facebook Finding alternatives for most of the young people in detention facing serious charges, and for those who have passed through the prosecutors office multiple times, will be a delicate process. The first program started in 2017 with a few youth and young adults, to date, Community Passageways serves over 500 young people a year with multiple programs, including school based, court advocacy, diversion, community support (emergency response), gang intervention, healing circles, youth advocacy, and family support. Its a community problem. Controversial King County program diverts young offenders from incarceration for certain crimes. Collective Justice, Creative Justice, Community Passageways, and CHOOSE 180 have worked together with the Department of Public Defense to co-create an alternative to the juvenile court system that has been written into the King County Executive's biannual budget and is set to begin . Theres nothing about that new building that feels like a therapeutic space, he said. Mailing address: If we want to end this cycle of violence, if we want to see all of our community members thrive, then we must first see all of us as we see ourselves; flawed, human, and in our woundedness capable of causing harm and as we heal, capable of infinite good. A bill partially unwinding a 2021 policing reform clears the Legislature. They were consulted on both fronts prior to todays announcement. Jasmin Tucker. When you make that distinction, the kid feels it. It costs taxpayers anywhere from $30,000 to $250,000a year to keep someone in jail. And Im like really? To demonstrate this philosophy, he used an example of a situation in which two school students see each other outside of school and one decides he is going to bully the other and take his backpack. Restorative Justice Diversion - Impact Justice The ripple effect is a tsunami of deep economic, generational, civic and historical traumas. A bill partially unwinding a 2021 policing reform clears the Legislature. When it opened, the County offered tours to show off the pastel-colored walls, art collection, and brightly lit common areas that set it apart from the old facility. Our highly-trained and experienced staff and volunteers at Empowered Pathways offer a variety of mediation services to address issues related to youth, as well as restorative services using the highly successful Circles environment approach to opening and continuing effective communication paths. 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. The KCPAO will forward. Era-defining King County prosecutor race spurs debate on crime, reform Show them new paths. Maintaining those numbers, Constantine said, will allow the county to close one floor (out of 12) of the jail in downtown Seattle, resulting in a $1.9 million annual savings. , Making Diversion Programs More Culturally Responsive. Dominique often says it will take the community to heal the community--we are the ones we have been waiting for. Restorative Practices | Empoweredpathwayscny He said RCP provides better accountability for the offender and more support for the victims of crimes compared to the traditional court system. Similarly, Jordan suggested that young people who are unable to have a positive response to out-patient restorative justice programs might need a long term in-patient care facility staffed by counselors who have experienced mental health crises, substance abuse, systemic racism, and housing insecurity. Executive Constantine highlights anti-racism and criminal legal system 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. A $6.2 million program called Restorative Community Pathways would refer up to 800 young people, by 2023, to community-based services, rather than filing criminal charges against them. Cynthia Ricks-Maccotan, who works for a youth violence prevention program under Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, said the reason the RCP program allows referrals of youth who have committed offenses among those objected to by city leaders such as Backus and Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell is because those are the offenses that historically have been disproportionately more punitive for youth of color. This is designed to replace the school-to-prison pipeline with a school-to-life success pipeline. Whether its becoming a mentor or our helping with vital behind-the-scenes administration, your volunteer time restores and saves lives! Thats not just his opinion either. This includes participating in the hiring of community navigators by RCP consortium members. But lets take organized retail theft or organized burglary, which also falls underneath the program and is a huge problem right now in King County. Dunns proposal was in response to concerns about the program brought up by South King County Mayors Jim Ferrell (Federal Way), Nancy Backus (Auburn), Dana Ralph (Kent) and Armondo Pavone (Renton). Interested in learning more about our team & programs? And so someone who is drafting a motion like that just doesnt understand it.. 2) You are investing in the future while healing the past. Join us weekly on Spotify as we talk about the business of justice, the industries involved in mass incarceration, and the experiences of people who have worked in and lived through the criminal justice systems. The result? Restorative Community Pathways includes appropriate services and support for harmed parties, and restitution so that youths who cannot pay fines and other financial obligations do not end up in a cycle of probation violations and incarceration. DominiqueDavisis the founder and CEO of Community Passageways. The number of jailed adults in the county dropped from about 1,900 before the coronavirus pandemic to about 1,300 now, according to the county. Chase Gallagher, a Constantine spokesperson, said the Sheriffs Office was consulted. After citing existing law, the prosecutors office comes to this conclusion in this hypothetical scenario. More savings will come from continuing to limit the countys jail population, Constantine said. Jasmine Vail - Communications Coordinator - Restorative Community Held alongside them were others held for more minor crimes, including one young person charged with misdemeanor assault and another charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn recently proposed a motion to recommend pausing the program just months into its implementation. So last November, King County launched a new diversion process for youth called Restorative Community Pathways. This is a community-led initiative, supported by the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) that builds on King Countys current plans and investments to realize the vision of a community where every person can thrive. The consortium will also include programming for young people charged in adult court; under current Washington law, kids aged 16 to 17 charged with serious violent felonies are automatically placed in adult court. Izzy Eads. We have a system that is wildly racially disproportionate, and its disproportionate despite what Fox News will tell you, because Black and brown people are treated differently throughout our society, including by every element of the criminal and legal system, Constantine said. A World That Relies on Community and Not Courtrooms. Lily Anderson, Senior Social Worker, or the, Youth who are eligible for diversion, along with their parent or guardian, meet with a team of trained volunteers (learn more about the Partnership for Youth Justice program and theDiversion Community Accountability Board. Calls to reform the juvenile legal system have increased over the past decade, and RCP is a direct response to the need for systemic change, ensuring youth with lived experience and community members and organizations impacted by these issues are closely engaged with human service providers and government agencies to meet collective goals, including increased public safety and restorative programs. Over time, the RCP Youth Steering Committee will develop to be directed by youth and young adults who have completed the RCP program. Even though he was involved in making quick money, he had a desire to give back through coaching and personal training. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Restorative Community Pathways is a diversion program that sends lower-level juvenile cases mostly misdemeanors, up to offenses like burglary, car theft, and gun charges to community. King County prosecutor candidates discuss criminal - Seattle Weekly 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. She is a strong champion for mental health and addiction recovery, strengthening our schools, reforming the criminal justice system, and affordable housing. interventions at the Patricia Clark Child and Family Justice Center and in the community. Earlier this week we introduced you to the King Countys Restorative Community Pathways (RCP) program and how it evades the judiciary section of the criminal justice system. They feel like they have to act differently. 2023 Change Washington. King County to continue new juvenile restorative justice program King County Council approves program to let community groups - KOMO 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. Renton City Councilmembers Kim-Khanh Van and Carmen Rivera echoed this sentiment, expressing belief that the region needs holistic approaches to diverting youth from the court system in favor of a more rehabilitative approach. Metro buses have been free to ride since the pandemic began, but fare collection could restart as soon as Oct. 1 and fare enforcement could resume as soon as Jan. 1. According to the countys presentation, those include: Unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree is another charge that Ferrell said shouldnt be eligible for diversion. 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. 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. So what happens when the juvenile, having completed the program from his bedroom computer, promptly goes back to school and this time actually shoots one or more people? The county still jails young people charged with more the most serious felonies including first-degree assault, robbery, and murder as a default. Restorative Community Pathways offers diversion for youth involved in a range of felony crimes, including organized retail theft, assault, residential burglary, burglary, and unlawful display and possession of a firearm. And they come even as the coronavirus pandemic has forced cutbacks across nearly all branches of county government. The proposals, part of the biennial budget that Constantine will present next week, have been spurred by the months of protests against police brutality and systemic racism that have dominated the nation and the region this summer. Community Passageways (CP) is a Seattle based nonprofit founded in 2017 with a vision for zero youth incarceration. Critically, RCP also provides equal resources and support to victims. But the windowless cells and steel doors are a reminder that the purpose of the new building is unchanged. The new center was built next to the decaying, 69-year-old Youth Services Center. 3) Crisis and trauma have individual ripple effects; yet together by giving our ideas and resources we can do turnarounds and make waves of positive change. Photo courtesy of King County. Lily Anderson, Senior Social Worker, or theStep-UpTeam (206)-477-2071,lily.anderson@kingcounty.gov. But lets not pretend theyre only targeting petty, seemingly harmless crimes. Mediation allows people an opportunity to speak . Join to view profile. Over 25 people signed up to testify in support of the Restorative Community Pathways program. My proposals for anti-racism and criminal legal system transformation 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. He received his PhD in the streets, from the University of Rainier and Henderson. He knew felony diversion would be a foundational and life changing juncture for young people and he developed a four-prong approach prevention, diversion, incarceration (support) and re-entry. Time, money and resources become more than a click of a button. We provide youth mentors and access to programs focused on personal healing, identity development, and leadership building. Learn more about Restorative Community Pathways. Investing in people who are striving to rebuild their lives has a multiplier effect. Rivera said that the South King County mayors who objected to RCP do not understand the methodology of restorative justice or its effectiveness. FIRS is a collaborative intervention and approach to address adolescent family violence in a timely, therapeutic, andtrauma-informed alternative to formal court involvement. Marlon Brown, a board member of Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County, called the changes a first step. Kristin Elia, Executive Office, 206-477-8209, Main phone: 206-263-9600 Ferrell has described the program as easily fixable, stating that accountable and judicial oversight needs to incorporated. 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. Youth who successfully complete a diversion have the addedbenefit of handling a criminal incident without having a criminal conviction. At the same time, Change Washington believes other reforms should include the following: Theres been enough wasted spending and no accountability when it comes to addressing the homelessness crisis in King County. About Community Passageways CP COVID-19 Response: We are continuously committed to helping young people, their families, and the community by meeting basic needs, meeting virtually, and advocating for the release of incarcerated people. This begs the question as to why the county prosecutors chose this scenario out of all the ones available to put into their presentation to cities, rather than a less serious case of schoolyard fighting. The goal of work like ours is to bring safety to our community by helping people heal; both those who have been accused of causing harm and those who have been harmed. Jana Detrick. She said leaders should listen to the first-hand experiences and experts who are involved with these programs. Its just sending the wrong message basically saying that one kid is better than the other, when theyre both redeemable.. I wont mince words about that., As King County continues to scale down its use of detention for children, the future of the new facility on Alder Street remains uncertain. Youthhave the opportunity tosign out-of-court agreements in lieu of criminal charging and formal court. Beyond this, the community-based. Please reach out for more information on our volunteer needs. Resolving a case using the diversion process can helpyouth and their family access helpful services in our community. The county will also begin to look for new alternatives to traditional fare enforcement on Metro buses. There are many, many steps still to take.. Our Team CHOOSE 180 Step-Up is an internationally recognized adolescent family violence intervention program designed to address youthviolence (including threats, intimidation, property destruction, degrading language and physical violence) towardfamily members. However, just as there are many homeless who have no desire to reenter normal society, there are criminals who plan to continue that lifestyle. It may be something that looks very much like detention, but are we going to call it something different and claim that were at zero youth detention?. Thats why RCP exists. Young people kept in the community through their dedication and our support have gone on to enroll in college, start businesses, graduate from high school, and help rebuild our communities. Brockman said she believes restorative justice and public safety can coexist and that restorative justice that works to rehabilitate rather than punish is a public safety strategy. Early data suggests program can reduce recidivism in King County The new buildings amenities and art collection are more respectful, he said, but ultimately, its a kid jail. , Youth who are eligible for diversion, along with their parent or guardian, meet with a team of trained volunteers (learn more about the Partnership for Youth Justice program and theDiversion Community Accountability BoardHERE)oran individual staff member todetermine what goes into the Diversion Agreement. About Community Passageways The program, according to Dunn, has a major perception problem as the South King County mayors scramble to mitigate the growing crime in their communities. He has published work withKUOW,North Carolina Public Radio, andThe Progressivemagazine, and he is currently working on a podcast forKUAFin Fayetteville, Arkansas. Carr then pivoted to the newly-implemented Restorative Community Pathways (RCP). Director of Programs. The program diverts kids who have committed a crime away from the prison system and instead focuses on rehabilitation through . She said 50 percent of incarcerated youth end up returning to the criminal justice system. 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. RCP at its core is a program that provides healing and restoration for youth. Restorative Community Pathways is an evidence and community-based program to help change a youths behavior, reducing crime and creating a better future for themselves, their families, and our community. Though some amount of recidivism is unavoidable, the outcomes of the countys diversionary programs have shown some promising improvements. Restorative Community Pathways also includes appropriate services and support for harmed parties, and restitution so that youths who cannot pay fines and other financial obligations do not end up in a cycle of probation violations and incarceration. For the same period, 233 juveniles were charged through traditional prosecution, with 47, or just over twenty percent, seeing new case referrals. Christina Umali. Their program has the juvenile participate in one-on-one workshops that, according to the organizations website, has shifted toward a virtual model.. He said the referrals from police departments recommending prosecution of a juvenile has drastically decreased from the tens of thousands of referrals he would receive annually in the mid-1990s, to now just over 1,000 in 2021. Pathways To Recovery

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