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King County youth jail survives tax challenge in state Supreme Court

caption: One of the halls at the current juvenile detention center in Seattle. There are 212 beds but less than a quarter are used.
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One of the halls at the current juvenile detention center in Seattle. There are 212 beds but less than a quarter are used.
KUOW Photo/Isolde Raftery

The state Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to King County's youth jail.

The case involved the 2012 ballot proposition that raised property taxes to build the facility.

An appeals court sided with jail opponents who said the measure didn't give the county the proper authority to use the money.

But the Supreme Court rejected that argument on technical grounds. (Click here to see the opinion or read it below.)

The high court said the opponents had filed their objection years too late. It said that state law says such objections must be raised within 10 days of public filing of the ballot title.

The group EPIC, or End the Prison Industrial Complex, has filed several lawsuits over the county’s plans to build the Children and Family Justice Center.

Jail opponents want the county to halt construction and put more resources toward providing social services for young people rather than locking them up.

Jail opponents want the county to halt construction and put more resources toward providing social services for young people rather than locking them up.

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