Brianne Howe, 509.625.4146
Friday, December 8, 2017 at 12:18 p.m.
The Spokane Municipal Community Court is scheduled to launch a new Community Court in the Northeast community on December 12, 2017. “The Community Court allows all neighborhoods in the Northeast a chance at helping those who would otherwise be forgotten in our area” said Colleen Gardner, Chair of the Chief Garry Neighborhood Council.
The Northeast branch of Community Court will operate out of the Northeast Community Center every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. “The Northeast Community Center is proud to host the Spokane Municipal Community Court,” said Dave Richardson, Executive Director of the Northeast Community Center. “We believe that this approach aligns with our mission of improving the quality of life for northeast Spokane residents, helping to reintegrate non-violent offenders back into the community by connecting them with services including mental health counseling, medical and dental care, substance abuse treatment, education, job training, and life skills classes offered at the community center” Richardson continued. Service providers will meet at 9am each Tuesday to staff the weekly docket and identify participants’ progress and needs before court commences.
Community Court seeks to reduce and properly address quality of life offenses by utilizing a collaborative, problem-solving approach to crime, and has been serving the Downtown core since December 2013. In July 2016, Spokane Municipal Community Court was awarded a grant from the Center for Court Innovation (CCI) and the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance for the purpose of expanding to another geographic area of the city. “Our city’s Downtown Community Court has provided confidence that when a community comes together to solve problems, everyone wins. Expansion to the Northeast extends problem solving for the benefit of our city” said Spokane Municipal Court Judge Mary Logan, who presides over Community Court.
Representatives from the Center for Court Innovation will be visiting from December 11-13, 2017, to celebrate Spokane Community Court’s fourth anniversary and the official launch of the Northeast branch. "Of the ten sites chosen in the national solicitation for community court funding, Spokane was one of only two chosen to enhance an existing model. They made a compelling case that, having achieved so much with their Downtown Community Court, testing whether it could be replicated at a second location would be of national interest" said Julius Lang, Director of Training and Technical Assistance at CCI.
Below is an overview of special events taking place the week of December 11th:
December 11
6-7 p.m. Proclamation of Spokane Municipal Community Court Week at City Council Meeting
December 12
9-10 a.m. Community Court Northeast Branch Inauguration and ribbon-cutting ceremony
Location: Northeast Community Center, 4001 N. Cook St
2-3:30 p.m. Community Court Advisory Board meeting with the Center for Court Innovation
Location: Northeast Community Center, 4001 N. Cook St
4:30-6:30 p.m. Spokane Community Court fundraising event
Location: The Gathering House, 733 W. Garland Ave
December 13
8-11:30 a.m. Community Court Anniversary Summit: When Access to Care Meets Access to Justice
Location: Northeast Community Center, 4001 N. Cook St
