By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
The public safety goals surrounding the youth residing in the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center (CCFJC) continue to spark debate, as members of the King County Council and the Council’s Law and Justice Committee are deliberating whether the current system does more harm than good.
A report submitted to the Law and Justice Committee in April revealed internal disagreements among the Advisory Committee on whether future detention should be secure. Committee members remain sharply divided on whether to have locks on the doors of community care homes that would serve as alternatives to the current detention center, and they have been unable to agree on a recommendation regarding security.
“As many public commenters shared, we cannot continue doing the same thing and expect different results,” says King County Councilmember Jorge L. Baron, chair of the Law and Justice Committee. “There is compelling evidence that our current system causes harm to youth and likely hinders our public safety goals. While I recognize the need for secure detention, it is inappropriate to reject a process that may identify better alternatives, which I believe the motion as written does.”
“Even as a policy statement without the weight of law, I am concerned that this indicates our indefinite support of a system that is not adequately meeting community safety goals. My vote today to advance this motion reflects my support for full council consideration, not for the indefinite use of secure detention for youth as it exists today,” Baron adds.
The Law and Justice Committee approved without recommendations a motion sponsored by Councilmember Reagan Dunn in support of keeping the center open.
Dunn’s motion reads: “It is the intent of the Metropolitan King County Council not to close the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center and keep it open and operating with secure detention services provided.”
According to officials, approving the proposal without recommendation ensures that the conversation will continue at the full King County Council.
“I am very pleased that the Committee has moved my motion forward to full Council so that the debate and conversation can continue,” said Dunn. “By focusing on ending secure detention and closing the juvenile detention facility, the county creates a lose-lose situation: public safety is at risk, and juvenile offenders have less access to rehabilitative services. The county must focus on improving our existing juvenile justice system. I will continue working toward this end.”
The CCFJC, which opened in 2020 at a cost of $242 million, was designed to offer a more rehabilitative approach to juvenile justice. It features a library, modern classrooms, a medical clinic, and a gym, all within the same building as community services and juvenile courtrooms. The original goal was to close the detention facility by 2025, but this date has been pushed back to at least 2028. The King County Auditor’s Office reported that years of debate have led to staffing shortages and cuts to programs at the CCFJC.
“Staff explained that the uncertainty around closure dampens morale and results in staff exploring employment opportunities with more long-term security,” the report states.
As of July 23, 69 juveniles are held in secure detention, including 12 being tried as adults. Offenses include six cases of murder, three for rape (including rape of a child), one for child molestation, 14 for assault, 26 for robbery, eight for unlawful possession of a firearm, one for possession of a stolen firearm, and 10 for other felony offenses.
“As Chair of the Law and Justice Committee and as a Councilmember, I believe it is my responsibility to create opportunities for discussion, even at the risk of an outcome that doesn’t align with my position,” says Baron. “Discussions about the future of the Clark Children and Family Justice Center have been led largely by the King County Executive, and the Council has not yet taken an official position. The motion before us today was an opportunity to capture the will of this committee. The two amendments put forward both failed, and the committee voted to advance the proposal without recommendation to the Full Council for continued work.”
King County’s Care and Closure initiative sought to close the CCFJC and shift responsibilities for juvenile detention to private organizations, even as the number of juvenile violent felonies—including murder, assault, rape, shootings, and burglaries—skyrocket. In 2023, there were 177 violent felonies committed by juveniles, including murder, gun violence, drive-by shootings, domestic violence, rape, and residential burglary. Juvenile violent felony filings are up 57% from 2022 and 146% from 2021. Youth-on-youth gun violence is at a record high despite other homicides and violent crimes trending downward.
As the debates are ongoing the community at-large has chimed in whether the center should be closed or remain open implementing more “trauma informed, and restorative measures addressing the effectiveness of the work the center is doing.
“I appreciate the over 100 people who provided public comment and the over 1,000 individuals who emailed in to provide their input, many of whom support efforts to close the facility. I encourage community members to continue engaging in conversations about creating more restorative and trauma-informed approaches to accountability,” says Baron. “I will continue working with my colleagues to clarify the message that this proposal sends: recognizing the current need for secure detention while affirming the work to identify alternatives and reduce the need for the incarceration of young people.”