Title
AN ORDINANCE prohibiting the King County department of adult and juvenile detention from releasing a juvenile in its custody to law enforcement without a court order and from allowing custodial interrogation and the waiver of any Miranda rights until after a juvenile consults with an attorney; and adding a new chapter to K.C.C. Title 2.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. The King County department of adult and juvenile detention operates a juvenile detention center at the King County youth services center in Seattle.
2. Juveniles may be detained at the juvenile detention center following an arrest for allegedly committing an offense or on a warrant; pending trial, as part of a sentence or as part of an order sanctioning the youth for violating the terms of probation.
3. Juvenile nonoffenders, including truants, at-risk youth, children in need of services or dependents, who violate a court order or are arrested on a warrant may also be detained at the detention center.
4. A juvenile in detention will attend school and have access to a wide range of programs and services with a focus on rehabilitation, not punishment, and ensuring community safety.
5. King County is committed to helping youth involved in juvenile court develop into healthy, productive adults.
6. A juvenile in detention does not have a parent or other guardian available to help ensure that the juvenile is treated fairly.
7. The department of adult and juvenile detention maintains the following visitation guidelines for juveniles in detention: visits may be up to thirty minutes long; each youth may have visitors up to three times per week; only parents and guardians and children under the age of eight may visit; and no food, clothing, money or personal items may be brought into the visiting area.
8. Notwithstanding its visitation guidelines, the department of adult and juvenile detention permits police officers and detectives to question juveniles in detention and obtain confessions from the...
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