ICYMI: Senator Murray Helps Pass Bipartisan Gun Safety Bill, Calls to Do More to Keep Students, Families Safe
Senator Murray: “CHOOSE 180 is making a real difference by focusing serious time and resources on young people who deserve every opportunity to succeed.”
***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL of today’s event HERE***
Burien, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion at CHOOSE180 to discuss community-led efforts to break the cycle of youth criminalization and make our communities safer. CHOOSE 180 began in 2011 as a community-centered effort in partnership with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to keep youth out of the criminal legal system and break the school-to-prison pipeline. The organization provides diversion programs—community-based alternatives to prosecution for young adults—including school-based and pre-court diversion programs, as well as other programs such as mentoring and therapy that support young people and provide access to resources and opportunities. Senator Murray is working right now to secure $552,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending in the government funding bills for Fiscal Year 2024 to support CHOOSE 180’s gun violence prevention and re-entry programs.
At the roundtable, Senator Murray discussed her continued support for criminal justice reform and efforts at the federal level to keep communities safe, build better futures for young people, and support organizations like Choose 180 that are doing important community-level work to help young people succeed. Senator Murray heard from young adults who had taken part in CHOOSE180 programs and was also joined by CHOOSE 180’s Executive Director Nneka Payne, Associate Executive Director Tascha R. Johson, and other CHOOSE180 staff.
“There’s so much we need to be doing to make sure our kids can live up to their full potential—whether it’s fixing a broken criminal justice system, investing in mental health and education along with so many other basics our kids need like health care and housing,” said Senator Muray. “CHOOSE 180 is making a real difference by focusing serious time and resources on young people who deserve every opportunity to succeed. I’m proud to be able to support these efforts directly through Congressionally Directed Spending while I continue to push for criminal justice reform, stronger gun safety laws, and so much more—every single kid deserves to grow up in a safe and loving environment with their community at their back.”
“CHOOSE 180 is dedicated to transforming systems of injustice and supporting young people who are too often affected by these systems,” said Nneka Payne, Executive Director of Choose 180.“The recent incident involving a young person affected by gun violence in West Seattle is disheartening and underscores the pressing need for prevention and intervention programs in our schools and communities. We are honored to have Senator Murray join us for a discussion on our programs and gun violence prevention, highlighting the crucial role of collective efforts in building safe and thriving communities.”
Nearly 4,000 young people have avoided criminal charges by participating in CHOOSE180’s diversion programs since 2017; 92% of young adults who complete CHOOSE180’s court diversion program do not re-engage with the criminal legal system within the year they are served. In a pre-program survey, 44% of CHOOSE180 program participants completed at least half or more of school assignments; in the post-program survey, 81% of participants completed at least half or more of their assignments.
Senator Murray is a strong supporter of criminal justice reform and further efforts to keep communities and families safe—she cosponsored and pushed for passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and as Assistant Majority Leader she helped pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a comprehensive package that strengthened gun safety laws, enhanced background checks for gun purchasers under the age of 21, and made investments in mental health access in schools and telehealth, among other things. While leading the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Health Appropriations Subcommittee, Murray secured the first federal funding for gun violence prevention research in more than two decades. Right now, Senator Murray is working as Chair of the Appropriations Committee to fund several annual Department of Justice (DOJ) grant programs, such as the STOP School Violence Program, that help build safer communities.
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