Our Mission
We create alternatives to incarceration for youth and young adults by rebuilding our communities through committed relationships centered on love, compassion, and consistency.
Approach:
We support our youth and young adults at every stage of the criminal legal process—from prevention to detention. This is designed to replace the school-to-prison pipeline with a school-to-life success pipeline. Instead of suspensions and expulsions, we strive for restorative and culturally relevant programming. Instead of police, prosecutors, and judges, we operate with mentors, counselors, and circle keepers. Instead of frustration and denial, we build purpose and opportunity. Instead of jails, we will have homes, schools, jobs, and a community that stands with our youth.
Community Passageway team members are Community Intervention Professionals who are trained and certified in multiple safety and support disciplines to protect and develop our communities. We are critical components of the Seattle Public Safety system.
What we do:
Through community interactions we have established street credibility that we leverage in prevention and intervention as expert community-based practitioners.
WE provide a strategic and trained response to violence prone incidents and individuals.
We work in coordination with other human services, public health and public safety organizations to utilize a trilateral approach that includes before, during, and after attention and tactics to deescalate conflict.
We mentor and educate youth and young adults while connecting individuals and families to necessary resources and impactful support services.
Impact
Since 2017, Community Passageways has worked with over 100 young people with felony charges with the aim of diverting their charges and keeping them in the community.* In the end, most of them spent no time in detention and the average young person saw an 80% reduction in their length of sentencing. The young people kept in the community through their dedication and our support have gone on to enroll in college, start businesses, graduate from high school, and help rebuild our communities.
They were collectively facing 370 years
They received 59 years
311 years diverted
84% cumulative reduction
70% received no prison time
*Community Passageways has worked with hundreds of young people and their families in other capacities.
