Balducci issues statement on youth detention center motion passage

August 27, 2024

King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci released the following statement after the King County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion declaring the intent of the Council to continue to operate the youth detention facility at the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center:

“I join my colleagues in making a clear statement of our Council’s intent to maintain operations of the youth detention facility for those in need of detention while also restating our commitments to improve the legal system and conditions for young people in detention.

“I also thank my colleagues for supporting the principles most important to me in this discussion: That we must go beyond debates about detention and get to work on the supports that will help our young people succeed; that we must continue to support community-based programs for youth and families to prevent and reduce crime, recidivism and victimization; that we support continued innovation, creating new, therapeutic places for young people who do not have a safe home environment and who do not need to be in detention.

“As I said throughout our weeks of debate on this topic, these are not mutually exclusive efforts. They are ‘Yes, and’ commitments. Public safety is one of government’s most sacred duties and I am committed to true public safety, with a variety of approaches. This ranges from meeting basic human needs to supporting strong community connections to offering restorative justice to helping victims of crimes and, yes, providing a secure place to hold people who pose a danger to the community. We owe it to our communities and our young people to provide that full spectrum of public safety services and I believe we can successfully do that. I appreciate that we have had a robust discussion and have taken a position on the CFJC. But this is hardly the end of the discussion. Now, let’s get back to work improving support and outcomes for our young people and making our communities truly safe for everyone. “