Jessica Fisher, Public Information Assistant, 509.625.6749
Friday, December 8, 2017 at 3:27 p.m.
On December 9, 2013 the Spokane Municipal Community Court was established! To celebrate, Spokane Mayor David Condon will proclaim the week of December 10, 2017 as Spokane Municipal Court Week.
Community Court seeks to reduce and properly address quality of life offenses in the downtown area by utilizing a collaborative, problem-solving approach to crime. Since 2013, Community Court has served more than 1,130 individuals on cases arising out of low level criminal violations or quality of life crimes in the downtown corridor. This Community Court has become a model for numerous cities across the country.
For the past four years, Community Court has been serving the downtown core at the Downtown Spokane Public Library. Next week, Community Court will expand and add its second location, the Northeast Community Center. The Northeast branch plans to resolve conflicts through restorative justice practices to emphasize the ways crime harms relationships in the community and brings together those most impacted by the crime to repair the damage. Victims will have the opportunity to directly address the defendant to express how they were hurt and what they need to heal from the crime. Defendants who successfully complete the program have the opportunity to have their charges dismissed. The expansion location will rely heavily on law enforcement diversion and community referrals to further the court’s impact in the Northeast.
During Community Court Week, join us for the Community Court Inauguration on Tuesday, December 12 from 9 -10 a.m. at the Northeast Community Center, 4001 N Cook Street. Hear from local leaders and tour the community center. Later that night, there will be a Community Count Fundraiser from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at The Gathering House, 773 W. Garland Street. This is a great opportunity to learn about Spokane’s Community Court system and enjoy some refreshments!
Community Court Week events will wrap up on Wednesday, December 13 with the 4th Anniversary Therapeutic Courts Summit Program. This event will bring together local leaders and several special guests including Washington State Supreme Court Justices Debra Stephens and Susan Owens, Columbia Legal Services Executive Director Merf Ehman and Julius Lang from the Center for Court Innovation. During the program they will discuss, why provision of care is integral to the successful diversion program. The event is December 13 from 8:30 – 11:45 a.m. at the Northeast Community Center, 4001 N Cook Street. Attendance is free but registration is required; please email Genevieve Mann at manng@lawschool.gonzaga.edu to register.
Happy Community Court Week!
