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Thread about youth prisons: Last week a fire was set at the King County Juvenile Detention center as part of the ongoing protests in the city. https://www.q13fox.com/news/seattle-rioters-leave-a-trail-of-destruction-after-looting-businesses-setting-explosive-fires
It is funny in a way, because the county had already announced plans to reduce the juvenile detention population to zero https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/king-county-executive-dow-constantine-commits-to-depopulate-youth-jail-by-2025/
This is part of a larger national movement within the justice system for young people. For example, jurisdictions across the country are working to eliminate youth prisons. The Square One project published a paper on the topic last month. https://squareonejustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/CJLJ8234-Square-One-Youth-Prisons-Paper-200616-WEB.pdf
New York's Close To Home initiative has been particularly successful https://ocfs.ny.gov/main/rehab/close_to_home/
At a time when people are calling for police defunding and prison abolition, the success in eliminating youth prisons shows how once-radical ideas can actually be implemented https://www.arnoldventures.org/stories/what-criminal-justice-reform-can-learn-from-the-rise-and-fall-of-youth-prisons
A few keys to success:
- Giving voice to advocates within youth justice
- Showing policymakers the status quo was both expensive and getting bad outcomes
- Working with affected communities to craft an alternative, and giving them resources to do so https://www.arnoldventures.org/stories/what-criminal-justice-reform-can-learn-from-the-rise-and-fall-of-youth-prisons
- Giving voice to advocates within youth justice
- Showing policymakers the status quo was both expensive and getting bad outcomes
- Working with affected communities to craft an alternative, and giving them resources to do so https://www.arnoldventures.org/stories/what-criminal-justice-reform-can-learn-from-the-rise-and-fall-of-youth-prisons
