At the latest hearing in the Pierce County case In Re Detention of A.W., Commissioner Craig Adams denied the state’s motion for reconsideration and appointed Jeff Sconyers to the position of Special Master. The Special Master is being appointed to ensure that the court’s directives are being followed and that all the steps required by the ruling are being followed. WSHA put forward Sconyers as a candidate, and he was supported by several other parties in the lawsuit.
While the state argued that the commissioner does not have the authority to implement the ruling, Commissioner Adams denied the motion. With the special master in place, the clock begins ticking on some of the other aspects of the order. Per WSHA’s request, Commissioner Adams will allow reasonable modification to the timelines, goals, objectives of the original court order.
WSHA will continue to advocate for improvements in the system, both inside and outside the court’s specific directives. A few key resources for those following this case:
- WSHA’s initial response to the court’s initial ruling here
- See the court’s implementation timeline here (State of Reform)
- Read more about Jeff Sconyers here (State of Reform)
From the Tacoma News Tribune: “State attorneys have options to appeal. In one scenario, they could seek a revision of Adams’ order within 10 days, which would shift the argument into Pierce County Superior Court. A similar pattern unfolded after Adams’ 2013 decision regarding psychiatric boarding, which was upheld at multiple levels.” (Zosia Stanley)
