King County Council calls for audit of nonprofit-managed juvenile diversion

The King County Council has asked the county auditor to examine a controversial, $16 million program that puts community-based organizations in charge of juvenile criminal diversions.

The Restorative Community Pathways program, introduced in 2021, lets youth avoid charges for lower-level felonies and misdemeanors by working not with the court, but with nonprofits, through diversions in which the young people identify and meet personal goals.

A series of KUOW investigations found minimal county oversight of the program and that many kids receive no services because the nonprofits can’t locate them or the youth don’t show up.

Councilmember Reagan Dunn cited those investigations, and other issues, in calling for a county audit of the Pathways program.

“We have had a number of incidents where the programs are either not working effectively, or there has been a direct allegation of misappropriation of tax dollars. An audit by the county auditor will, I think, shed the light of day on what is really happening there,” Dunn said.

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The council has not been able to get clear numbers from the Department of Community and Human Services, which oversees the Pathways program, regarding how many young people have completed the diversion program, Dunn said.

The program was funded by cutting 17 juvenile probation counselor positions, who traditionally oversee diversion, with the rationale that community groups would now do most of that work. That shift has not panned out, leaving probation counselors stretched thin. In 2023, prosecutors successfully diverted 173 young people to Pathways, far fewer than the 400 to 600 cases the program aimed to receive each year.

Despite the council’s historical support for Pathways as a community-based alternative to court-monitored diversion, it voted 8-0 for the audit plan on Wednesday, with Councilmember Claudia Balducci excused.

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DCHS spokesperson Katie Rogers said county auditors have already been in contact with her office about the scope of the audit.

“Like all of our programs, we are ready for any audit at any time and welcome the county auditors' review of our programs to maintain our commitment to continuous improvement, transparency, and accountability,” Rogers said.

The state auditor’s office examined several aspects of the Pathways program last summer, Rogers pointed out, and issued no findings.

However, the auditor recommended in a letter that the county improve its oversight of Pathways, including completing site visits of providers, reviewing the nonprofit's annual financial statements, and requesting tracking logs for the gift cards participants often receive as part of the program.

Rogers said the county is implementing the state auditor’s recommendations.

The council’s call for the county audit comes as juvenile crime increased significantly for a third straight year in King County, including dramatic increases in violent felony charges.

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Dunn said the county audit should be complete by the fall.