King County To Invest In Anti-Racism & Criminal Justice Reforms

SEATTLE — An upcoming proposal for the 2021-2022 budget will include more than $10 million to fight racism and improve equity in King County.

King County Executive Dow Constantine says the money is necessary to reckon with "the brutal reality of racism and bias throughout our society" and the proposals were crafted with the help of community advocates, public servants and leaders from across the county.

"With these investments, King County puts its money where its values are," said Constantine. "In this extraordinary moment, we took up a simple refrain to guide our budget: divest, invest, and reimagine. As we support community members in co-creating our shared future, we make an important down payment on building a strong, equitable, and racially just county that lives up to the principles of its namesake."

The budget proposal includes:

Divesting $4.6 million in marijuana tax revenue from law enforcement towards community-based programs

Constantine's office says the $4.6 million represents all the money collected through retail marijuana sales in King County.

$2.8 million of that money would go to help pay fines and clear criminal records for those who have been convicted of marijuana related offenses that are now legal. The Executive's Office says that this will hopefully undo some harm the country's infamous "war on drugs" had on Black communities.

Another $1.35 million from the divested money would be given to the Department of Local Services for youth marijuana prevention and employment programs.

The final $450,000 would create a "community-centered advisory body" which would decide how marijuana taxes are spent going forward.

Investing $6.2 million in “Restorative Community Pathways” to end cycles of imprisonment

Instead of filing charges against young people, the county intends to begin referring many to community-based services. Constantine's office says that many younger Americans who are imprisoned or charged end up with fines they cannot pay or other financial obligations that can result in "a cycle of probation violations and incarceration," a problem which disproportionately impacts low-income people of color. This investment is designed to reconsider how youths are charged, and help pay those fines to break the cycle of debt and imprisonment.

The county estimates that as many as 800 young people will begin receiving these community-based services by 2022-2023.

Investing $750,000 in alternatives to policing in unincorporated King County

This money would help create a community-driven safety model in unincorporated King County, potentially using mental health professionals as first responders instead of sheriff's deputies.

The county says that alternatives to traditional policing could help keep kids out of criminal courts and jails. They hope to have the program designed and finalized by 2021 and implemented in 2022.

Divesting $1.9 million from jails through limits on jail population

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, King County's adult jail population has been cut from 1,900 to 1,300 inmates. The county now says they intend to keep the population at that level, allowing them to close one floor at the King County Correctional Facility, and saving money which will instead be used for support programs.

Related: Exec Explains Plan To End Youth Detention, Close Seattle Jail

Investing $600,000 to combat gun violence

Public Health Seattle-King County’s Zero Youth Detention will continue their gun violence prevention program through 2022. The program identifies areas where gun violence is on the rise, and tries to combat that through education.

Investing $2.7 million to divert first-time offenders

The county plans to divert roughly 1,000 low-level filings from the judicial system each year starting in 2022 at the latest.

Instead of being prosecuted traditionally, these low-level, first-time offenders would instead be offered community-based alternatives. Offenders who committed violent crimes or crimes against others would not be eligible for this program— the county says the idea is to help those who have committed minor crimes and are facing their first charges avoid continued cycles of imprisonment.

Other changes are also under consideration, including further investments in community engagement and changes to fare enforcement on Metro buses. The county says traditional fare enforcement has a disproportionately negative impact on riders of color, and with fares currently suspended due to the pandemic, it's the right time to reconsider how ticket purchases are enforced.

More specifics on all proposals can be found on King County's website.