Associated Press
SEATTLE — Following the filing of a federal lawsuit protesting solitary confinement of minors at the Regional Justice Center in Kent, the King County executive has directed that all juvenile defendants criminally charged as adults be moved to the Youth Services Center in Seattle.
The Seattle Times reports the order signed by Dow Constantine Thursday says by March 1, no juvenile defendant will be housed at the Kent jail which was designed for adults, except for in emergencies.
The lawsuit filed last month by Columbia Legal Services noted that four teens awaiting trial and living in isolation cells at the Kent jail received only 10 minutes per day of face-to-face conversation with a teacher, who slid work sheets under their door.
Currently, there are 15 juvenile defendants housed at the Kent jail.
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