Seattle, WA
Seattle mayor proposes sending some misdemeanor offenders to Des Moines jail
Seattle mayor proposes sending some misdemeanor offenders to Des Moines jail
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has proposed a plan to send some misdemeanor offenders in Seattle to South Correctional Entity (SCORE) in Des Moines.
DES MOINES, Wash. – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has proposed a plan to send some misdemeanor offenders in Seattle to South Correctional Entity (SCORE) in Des Moines.
According to a press release from the Mayor’s office, this pilot program would use 20 beds at SCORE which would cost between $1.5 to $3 million per year, allowing the City of Seattle to “more consistently book individuals who have engaged in misdemeanor criminal offenses”
Though SCORE would temporarily hold misdemeanor offenders for 24–48 hours under this Interlocal Agreement, groups like SEIU 925 are concerned about how people would get to SCORE and what happens to them at the facility.
“Our biggest fear is that our attorneys will not be able to access our clients and our clients will not be able to appear appropriately in court to have their cases adjudicated,” said Molly Gilbert, Chapter President of the union representing King County Public Defenders under SEIU 925.
When King County had a deal with SCORE, Gilbert says SCORE turned away social workers, attorneys trying to visit defendants and defense experts who tried to conduct evaluations.
“We had internet issues and then getting clients to court was a constant problem as well.” said Gilbert. “We had problems with in-person visits and remote visits, and we never found a solution before the county canceled its contract.”
Gilbert says concerns were raised over deaths that happened while King County used SCORE.
“There had been deaths that had not been reported to the county during the county’s contract with SCORE,” said Gilbert. “Additionally, it didn’t appear that SCORE was following the DOH and RCWs on how to report these unexpected fatalities, there were no reports submitted to the state and there were no public announcements of those deaths as well.”
Gilbert doesn’t believe Mayor Harrell’s agreement would work for Seattle Municipal Court, citing concerns with transportation and for clients held at SCORE that would potentially be released outside the facility.
“In the Seattle Municipal Court system, many of the people being arrested are homeless, so we are removing them entirely from the city where they live and removing them from a lot of the support services that they access,” said Gilbert.
Gilbert believes Seattle Municipal Court judges need to speak up about whether courtrooms can operate with people being sent to SCORE and that more analysis needs to be done on what happens after people are booked into SCORE.
According to Mayor Harrell’s office:
“The City will continuously assess the effectiveness of this program and reserves the right to terminate this program if it does not meet the needs and expectations of the City. SCORE jail beds used this year would be paid for with underspend from the King County jail contract and in 2025 would be paid for as part of the City’s general fund.”
For now, Mayor Harrell’s office says his legislation will be sent to City Council for approval, but it won’t go into effect until operational issues are addressed, and the City officially notifies SCORE.
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