Seattle court grants city attorney's request to block 'high utilizers' from alternate justice path
The Seattle Municipal Court agreed to grant City Attorney Ann Davison’s request to bar some frequent offenders from having their cases moved to Seattle Community Court.
Davison thanked the court for granting her request in a Monday statement, saying in part, “Individuals causing the most impact on our community need meaningful accountability for their criminal activity paired with increased behavioral health services. The best venue to ensure appropriate accountability and community safety is in Seattle Municipal Court and my team will continue to engage service providers to address underlying behavioral health needs.”
At the end of April, Davison filed a formal request with the court to bar individuals who meet the criteria for her High Utilizer Program from Community Court, the system by which low-level misdemeanor offenders are paired with housing assistance and drug treatment instead of jail time.
Davison said the court looks to achieve the goals of the program through a series of "warm handoffs" between the jail and the court's pre-trial services unit, which connects the individuals to services through the Community Resource Center.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/seattle-court-grants-city-attorneys-request-to-block-high-utilizers-from-alternate-justice-path/ar-AAX5lAy