KIRKLAND, Wash. — Kirkland Municipal Court has opened a new court that focuses on problem-solving and helping, rather than incarcerating, those who have been convicted of nonviolent crimes.
"Modeled after similar courts located across the nation such as Redmond, Spokane, New York, San Diego and Atlanta, Kirkland’s Community Court takes a compassionate approach to dealing with crimes that are often committed due to life circumstances such as mental illness or poverty," said city officials in a statement.
The Community Court will address nonviolent crimes such as theft, shoplifting, trespassing and other low-level offenses. Individuals who seek out the Community Court must meet other criteria such as not having any violent felony convictions in the past five years, officials said.
Judge John Olson, the presiding judge of Kirkland Municipal Court, said he believed it would be a positive aspect of the judicial system.
"There's no thought to punish people or hurt people. It's to help them get past the struggles that they're dealing with right now," he said.
Olson said one goal is to shrink the amount of time a person has in the court system.
"If you meet all the requirements, at the end of a fairly short period of time — could be anywhere from 12 weeks to six months — the case will be dismissed. And traditional court can be even at our level can be, you know, one or two years, going through the system," Olson said.
"What we found in people that have been doing the community court is, the sooner you can get a person into the system and out of the system, the better chance they're going to have of being successful and not reoffending."
Community Court participants will also have access to the affiliated Community Resource Center, which provides critical services such as healthcare, education, job training, and behavioral health and substance abuse treatment. Participants are also often required to perform community service, which fosters community engagement, officials said.
"We’ve seen neighboring communities have success with their community courts," said Kirkland Councilmember Toby Nixon in a statement. "It makes sense to address the underlying challenges of court participants that may contribute to further criminal activity. By providing services and increasing community engagement and connection, we can reduce crime."
The Community Resource Center is open virtually on Zoom or by phone on Wednesdays between 2-4 p.m. The center is provided in collaboration with King County District Court and is available to all members of the public in addition to Community Court participants.
Officials said the Community Court is part of the city's "2021 Community Safety Initiative," which is designed to help Kirkland become a more equitable city where Black community members feel safe, respected and structural racism is eliminated.
To learn more about the Community Court, visit the City of Kirkland's website by clicking here.