We, the undersigned, oppose the continued incarceration of youth in King County, Washington and reject any motion by the King County Council, its Law and Justice Committee or any individual council member to keep the youth jail open. In opposition to our shared values, youth incarceration perpetuates cycles of trauma, disrupts educational attainment, and exacerbates racial disparities within our community.
In the current Seattle/King County political climate, we are removing vital investments in the well-being of future generations. These declines are evidenced by planned public school closures, decreased hours at libraries, and now moves like the proposed rejection of the County’s stated commitment to Zero Youth Detention and ending the public health crisis of racism. These rollbacks position Seattle and King County up to set Black and BIPOC communities back from any gains achieved towards real equity and justice in our region.
We oppose any plans to continue operation of a youth jail in King County for the following reasons:
Disproportionate Enforcement
We stand in unity for our young people in saying Enough. We have had years of post-George Floyd backlash and roll backs on recent progress to racial justice. These bad policy choices send us back to "super predator" eras where law and order is meted out to people of color—especially Black/Native/Latine people—cruelly and disproportionately, despite evidence of similar rates of crime across racial groups.
Long-Term Negative Impact
Incarceration at a young age increases the likelihood of future involvement in the criminal justice system, hindering prospects for rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society. Additionally, King County jails have had devastating deaths recently, and we need to pay better attention to how close our community members are to death in local carceral systems.
Ineffectiveness of Strategy
Community programs, restorative justice practices, and investments in mental health services have proven more effective in reducing recidivism and supporting positive youth development. Returning to an “incarceration first” model is in direct opposition to efforts that keep us safer, invest in our collective future, and care for our most marginalized young people.
The King County Council needs to uphold our values of ending racism as a public health crisis and reject any motions that return us to an antiquated era of caging kids rather than addressing root causes in the name of public safety. We must stay on a progressive track. The recent battles at the Seattle City Council show our communities are in an economically-precarious place. Mass incarceration cannot be the life blood of our economic engine. Our elected representatives need to remain on a justice-minded path, maintaining a progressive vision on mass incarceration and public safety that emphasizes reparative and restorative justice.
We call on the King County Council to lead with racial equity, maintain committed to Zero Youth Detention and to ending racism as a public health crisis by rejecting any extension or removal of the youth jail Care and Closure plan.
Sincerely,
The Community