Dunn proposes revamped dashboard to increase transparency about juvenile violent crime, sex offenses

March 20, 2024

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn on Tuesday introduced legislation that requests King County’s Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (PAO) to revamp its juvenile crime dashboard to include more comprehensive data on the types of crime that are occurring and how those crimes are being addressed by the PAO. Dunn’s legislation comes as juvenile violent crime continues to spike, and amid reports of alarmingly low filing rates of juvenile sex crimes.

“As our communities see a concerning rise in juvenile crime, this dashboard will allow members of the public to better understand the trends in specific crimes and see how cases are being addressed—for instance, how many are resolved, diverted, or declined,” Dunn said. “There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to transparency on juvenile crime, and it’s my hope this dashboard will help keep our communities informed.” 

According to information provided by the PAO, juvenile violent felony referrals are up 33% in 2023 from 2022, and up 91% from 2021. Juvenile violent felony filings are up 57% in 2023 from 2022 and up 146% from 2021. At the same time, controversial juvenile diversion programs that lack oversight, accountability, and performance metrics have left communities in the dark about what is being done to rehabilitate juvenile offenders and reduce recidivism.

Dunn’s proposed dashboard would expand the data that is presented and allow the public to easily see trends in juvenile cases over time. It would also provide more data on what happens to cases that are not filed or diverted, including data on declines, dispositions, and statutory referrals, and give more detailed breakdown of the various offenses that are being committed. The legislation also requests the PAO to make provisions to provide for the privacy of juvenile offenders.

This legislation will be heard in an upcoming meeting of the King County Council’s Law and Justice Committee.