Title
AN ORDINANCE authorizing the executive to execute an interlocal agreement with the South Correctional Entity for jail services and imposing conditions and requirements.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. The COVID 19 pandemic has caused unprecedented staff shortages for the department of adult and juvenile detention and the jail health services division of public health - Seattle & King County.
B. As experienced by other correctional workforces throughout the nation, the shortage has been caused by staff contracting COVID-19, needing to isolate or quarantine from exposures, suffering from fatigue or separating from county employment altogether because of pandemic-related mandates that are in place to keep staff and inmates safe.
C. The pandemic has also caused the county jails to make operational changes that are more labor intensive.
D. Due to those staff shortages and operational changes the county now has the need to contract with an outside entity to house some county inmates.
E. The South Correctional Entity is a governmental administrative agency formed by the cities of Auburn, Burien, Des Moines, Renton, SeaTac and Tukwila to operate and maintain a correctional facility in the city of Des Moines.
F. The executive and South Correctional Entity have negotiated an interlocal agreement for the housing of county inmates.
G. The interlocal agreement between King County and South Correctional Entity is intended to be a short-term arrangement for housing a small fraction of county inmates as one tool for addressing county detention staff shortages and is intended to terminate when King County has sufficient staffing to support county detention operational needs.
H. South Correctional Entity has acknowledged and agreed to comply with the unexpected fatality review requirements in accordance with state law, and publicly issues unexpected fatality reports.
I. South Correctional Entity's policies and ...
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