November 24, 2006

SHORT TAKES

Down to zero

They’re in agreement: the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) won’t put up with staff sexual misconduct.

That’s the overall assessment of The Moss Group, Inc., a consultant team hired to provide a review of operations and practices within the DAJD. Under cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Corrections, the team reached such a conclusion after two on-site visits, the first in late April, the second in mid-May. Along with interviews conducted with the Director and Deputy Director, the opinions of close to 90 staff members and 21 inmates were garnered through focus and discussion groups held at the downtown Seattle facility. The Regional Justice Center Detention Facility, located in Kent, was not covered in the report.

But while the report concludes the DAJD exhibits a policy of “zero tolerance” toward sexual misconduct, there are still a number of recommendations, including: evaluating the management of special populations, including female inmates, as a way to diminish tension and provide an “early-warning system for issues related to sexual abuse and staff sexual misconduct;” implementing a more expeditious inmate grievance process; and the full implementation of the Internal Investigations Unit policies and procedures, which looks into allegations of employee misconduct.

The report notes that the current culture at the downtown site — known as the King County Correctional Facility — has been influenced over the past several years by a “number of custodial sexual misconduct investigations” that led to criminal and/or administrative actions. The result of such investigations, the 57-page document reads, has been “media attention,” which has impacted both inmates and staff. In the summary, the consultant team advises that the DAJD’s critics can quote assesment information out of context. “This report,” the consultants stress, “should be used only constructively to further enhance the culture of the organization.” Along with recommending that the department throroughly review the Prison Rape Elimination Act, it suggests the DAJD consider a review of policy, which could be conducted by the consultants themselves.

—Rosette Royale

Death, taxation, and the minimum wage

The results of the Nov. 7 mid-term election ended the hopes of anti-“death tax” campaigners in both Washingtons. In this state, Initiative 920 went down to defeat not only because of King County voters; it was killed by voters in more reddish locales from Grays Harbor to Pullman. In D.C., the partisan shift of Congress means the federal plan to kill off the tax on heirs won’t be back anytime soon, predicts the social and economic justice group United for a Fair Economy.

However, watch out for plans to reduce the tax rate or raise the exemption into the stratosphere, allowing more and more multimillionaires to pass greater portions of their wealth, says UFE in a post-election statement. “We plan to work with our supporters and partner organizations to win a responsible estate tax reform in the next Congress.” And, there’s always the lame-duck session: this December, as the current Congress convenes for the last time, UFE and other tax fairness activists say they’ll be watching for last-minute attemps at repeal.

Voters in all six states with new minimum wages on the ballot approved them. Montana and Nevada adjusted theirs to $6.15; Missouri workers will get $6.50; Arizona’s will be $6.75, and Ohio and Colorado go to $6.85. All, like Washington’s, will be adjusted annually according to the cost of living. Twenty-nine states now have higher minimum wages than the federal government’s mandated $5.15, which has stayed the same since 1997, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Because of these new laws, the institute estimates 1.5 million workers will get a raise.

—Adam Hyla

Target this

“Big development coming to your neighborhood,” reads a flyer going out this week to business owners in Seattle’s Little Saigon. “Let’s make sure it benefits our community!”

That’s the rallying cry of the Dearborn Street Coalition for a Livable Neighborhood, whose members plan to show up Tuesday night, Nov. 28, for a public hearing on proposed changes to the city’s Comprehensive Plan. If passed, one of the changes would set the stage for a 10-acre shopping center to be built on the site of today’s Goodwill store at S. Dearborn Street and Rainier Avenue S., adjacent to the small, Vietnamese-owned businesses that make up Little Saigon.

A Target, Lowe’s, and 30 to 40 small shops are planned at the site, along with 400 to 500 condos. Seattle Goodwill, the site’s current owner, would get a new building out of the deal. But the coalition wants Little Saigon to get something, too, so it’s asking Ravenhurst Development for a community benefits agreement before the City Council raises building heights for the project.

Among the benefits, the coalition is seeking jobs, low-income housing, and protection for immigrant-owned businesses. “You are needed at the public hearing,” the coalition’s flyer says, “to say NO to large-scale development without stakeholder input.”

The hearing is scheduled Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 600 Fourth Avenue. For information, call (206) 441-0499, ext. 23, or e-mail edix@seattlegoodjobs.org.

—Cydney Gillis