Mayors say youth incarceration diversion program goes too far

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Four south King County mayors say a new program aimed at reducing youth incarceration goes too far.

Restorative Community Pathways, or RCP, has been operating for about a month.

The program was recently brought to the attention of Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell, who said he was shocked by the PowerPoint presentation about RCP that was given to local officers by a King County prosecuting attorney.

“Instead of coming up with solutions, the King County prosecutor’s office is writing snarky, sarcastic PowerPoints that are essentially mocking us, said Ferrell.

KIRO 7 obtained a copy of the presentation. The first slide shows a meme of a dog sitting in a house that’s on fire saying, “This is fine.”

The presentation goes on to explain the problems with the current juvenile justice system and how a shift toward rehabilitation is necessary.

One slide read, “Even for serious offenses, the focus will be primarily on rehabilitation. (Get used to it.)”

“The presentation that was made to the law enforcement officers was absolutely, outrageously unprofessional,” said Ferrell.

The diversion program aims to divest from the current juvenile legal system and invest in community-driven support systems. The goal is to maintain accountability while addressing racial equity. Black, Indigenous and People of Color, or BIPOC, youth make up 86% of the youth incarcerated in King County.

But Ferrell said RCP doesn’t hold people accountable for their actions.

“This PowerPoint uses an example of a kid that’s bringing a gun to school. We pulled six guns off students in Federal Way high schools this year,” said Ferrell.

For instance, the presentation gave the example: “Young Timmy brings a pistol to school, brandishes it during a confrontation, and causes panic.” The presentation concluded the act would most likely lead to “no time in custody and no ultimate conviction.”

“We’re really at a loss as to how this makes any kind of sense for community safety,” said Ferrell.

A spokesman for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said it does make sense because RCP is implemented on a case-by-case basis.

“Every case is looked at individually. And so, there’s not a blanket rule that will automatically do something. Everything is looked at by at least two deputy prosecutors, said Casey McNerthney, director of communications for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

McNerthney said there is accountability in the program, which was unanimously approved by the King County Council.

“What’s most often overlooked in diversion programs is the idea that we put somebody in a diversion program and we never hear from them again. There are court ordered, in many cases, reviews to make sure that people follow through. And if they don’t follow through, then they go through the traditional prosecution route,” said McNerthney.

The mayors of Auburn, Kent, Renton, and Federal Way all signed a joint letter calling for the program to be paused immediately. KIRO 7 was told that at this time, there are no plans to do so.

©2021 Cox Media Group