Six people sat around a large conference table in a first-floor courtroom at Bellingham Municipal Court one morning in mid-July. There were court employees, defense and city attorneys and, at the head of the table, a judge. Each of them was present with an express goal: to help the people enrolled in the Municipal Court’s new Community Court program address the underlying factors leading to their criminal charges and avoid future involvement in the justice system.
The community court had its soft launch in January, over a decade after it was initially proposed. Individuals charged with certain crimes – most often drug possession, shoplifting and driving with a suspended or revoked license – are recommended to the program by Ryan Anderson, lead prosecutor for the City Attorney’s Office. The first official participants joined in February. Anderson said he’s reviewed about 1,400 arraignments since January to determine whether to recommend them for the community court, and that the court will “continue to refine that process.” He said he referred at least eight people last week alone, though not all are admitted. People referred to the program undergo an assessment to see if they would benefit from it. There are currently about 20 participants.
What is Community Court? The community court program lasts between three months and two years, depending on the case. Participants are connected with resources in the community and partner organizations, including local service providers and non-profits, to receive education, substance use disorder treatment, housing, job training or other services they may need.
They may be required to complete community service hours, attend addiction treatment or make restitution payments as part of the program. Upon completion, their case will be dismissed. “We have wanted to establish our Community Court for a while, and now that we’ve built the foundation, it’s gratifying to have the ability and resources to help people overcome their struggles and improve their lifestyle,” Community Court Judge Debra Lev and Commissioner Nicholas Henery said in a joint response to The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham Municipal Court held a celebratory launch of the community court on Tuesday, July 22, inviting community members and city officials to see the court calendar in action. Seven people appeared before the judge during the proceedings, including one person who was still deciding whether to participate in the program. Each was met with applause from the audience when they were called and after they finished their hearings. Most of the participants were working towards getting their driver’s licenses back, and discussed their progress on action plans with the others at the table. If there were roadblocks or issues that they were struggling with, such as dealing with open cases in other counties or attending a theft awareness class, court employees helped brainstorm ways to overcome them and provided encouragement.
Lev and Henery said that the community court gives them “a unique opportunity to interact and get to know individuals and their situations on a more personal level.” The community court, while the newest, is not the only alternative court program offered at Bellingham Municipal Court. The court also operates a dedicated domestic violence court and therapeutic court, which focuses on promoting mental health treatment. The court is in the early stages of considering the implementation of a dedicated DUI court.
Lev and Henery said that while the community court will always be a work in progress, the impact so far has been “very encouraging.” “It’s a special honor to help individuals improve their lives and see results towards that outcome in a relatively short period of time.” Editor’s Note (July 29): This article was updated to properly attribute community court program recommendations to Ryan Anderson, lead prosecutor for the City Attorney’s Office.
Read more at: https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article311464335.html#storylink=cpy