BREAKING: King County Executive Dow Constantine plans to close the county jail in downtown Seattle—and build no new facilities to replace it.
I've obtained a leaked email, written by Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention Director John Diaz, outlining the plan for a "phased closing of the Seattle jail" and replacing it with "prevention, diversion, rehabilitation, and harm reduction" programs. Additionally, the county plans to end all youth detention by 2025.
This is a radical escalation in the agenda of "abolishing the police" and "abolishing prisons." This policy would eliminate nearly 60 percent of King County's jail capacity—and lead to the early release of violent criminals.
Time to sound the alarm.