Judge Patricia Clark, Shepherding Our Kids: Our Present and Our Future
By Bonnie Glenn
Walk into King County Juvenile Court on any given day and you will notice an unspoken pride and energy among staff and judges. From innovative treatment programs such as drug court, treatment court and systems integration to the renovated facade and beautiful commissioned art work by Nhon K. Truong, great change is happening at Juvenile Court. Our court system is viewed as a leader in the state and across the country on juvenile justice issues.
So when did all this happen? What are we doing right? To find the answers to these questions I interviewed the guiding force and lead architect at Juvenile Court -- Chief Juvenile Court Judge Patricia Clark.
If there is a heart and soul that guides a team of caring leaders to strive harder on behalf of kids, it’s Judge Clark. For more than 25 years, Judge Clark has worked with youth in various capacities. She has been a social worker, vocational counselor, teacher, prosecutor, professor, judge and mother (her son is a Chicago teacher and her daughter a Seattle attorney). When it comes to the welfare of children, she has advocated tenaciously to do what is right and not simply what is easy.
Judge Clark lights up with a passion and infectious zeal when she talks about young people. She understands that our kids are our present and future and she is very clear about her expectations of our youth: “Demand excellence and set the bar high. If you set the bar high, they will meet you. Have high expectations and you will find high prospects. If you set the bar low, they will meet you there, too.”
King County has the largest youth population in the state with 386,203 youth -- a 25 percent youth population rate. Pierce County is next highest, with 12.8 percent, followed by Snohomish County with 11.2 percent. These counties collectively contained nearly half (49%) of the state’s youth population in 2004.
In King County, juvenile detention admission rates for 2004 were at an all-time low of 3,775, down from 4,077 in 2003. Back in 1996, the juvenile detention admission rate was 6,753 with talk of building another detention facility.
From 1998 to 2004, King County Juvenile Court referrals, filings and detention stays were reduced by more than 40 percent. The average daily population rate consistently decreased over the last five years to an average under 100 after averaging more than 200 for many years. Juvenile arrest and violent crime rates for youth ages 10 to 17 also are down.
So what has caused this change at Juvenile Court? Judge Clark is quick to point out “there are many people who have helped shape the success at Juvenile Court over the years,” including Justice Bobbe Bridge, King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng, former Chief Juvenile Presiding Judge Laura Inveen and King County Juvenile Court Administrator Bruce Knutson. “It started with a change of philosophy in how we worked and interacted with young people. The answer is no single solution, but many partial solutions that emerged by working together.”
For example, the Juvenile Justice Operational Master Plan was formed in 1998 to create a unified strategy across systems to rethink how business is done at juvenile court. The plan had four main goals: (1) to advocate for and implement initiatives to decrease the detention population in lieu of building a second facility; (2) implementation of research-based intervention services for high-risk youth and their families; (3) reinvestment of those savings at the local level to provide ongoing support for programs and strategies that have been proven to reduce recidivism; and (4) to reduce the over-representation of youth of color in the juvenile justice system.
The court also has taken on a new role to oversee the youth detention process, encouraged judicial interest and lengthened judicial rotations in the court, developed a systematic approach for screening and assessment and found detention alternatives for low-level offenses. A consistent theme has been shared responsibility for wins and failures across systems and agencies -- a “They are our kids, not your kids” mentality.
“Rehabilitation and unification of kids with their families has always been the core mission of Juvenile Court,” Judge Clark said.
“However, saying it and having the will to shift institutional behavior to find alternatives to detention and implementing proven treatment programs, and seeking cross system information to understand what works and what doesn’t work, was monumental. It took innovation and strong fortitude across system lines to help make our system work better.”
When asked about areas of improvement, she indicated that they are always looking at ways to improve. For example, the staff is investigating the possible factors behind a summertime increase in the average daily population rate. Reducing the Disproportionate Minority Confine-ment rate also is a high priority. Currently, the African-American detention population rate is 40 percent although African Americans comprise just 9 percent of the youth population.
The number of girls in detention also has increased and Judge Clark notes there is a need for ways to help young women. “When you mix boys and girls together, the girls fade away. We need to look at gender-specific interventions to help our young girls make the right choices.”
Next on the horizon is a Juvenile and Family Law Court Facility. “The current facility at Juvenile Court is very old and was made for a very different type of system than we have today,” Judge Clark says. “We have put together a group of people to help make this dream a reality for the growing number of kids and families who come to juvenile court.”
The Juvenile Court has made great strides in working with our youth and has much to be proud about. Although not perfect, the court still is working to make things better for kids and families and is to be congratulated for being recognized as a leader in the United States. The gleam in Judge Clark’s eye tells it all: working collaboratively, we will have a new building and a new system to carry forth the work that is needed for our kids today and in the future. n
Bonnie Glenn is a deputy chief of staff with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. She works on legislative and juvenile justice policy, inter-governmental affairs, community outreach and crime prevention for the office. She currently is a member of the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and a trustee of the King County Bar Association.
