The Aberdeen Municipal Court has launched a new Community Court program in response to the community’s frustration with crime and the Municipal Court’s frustrations with repeatedly processing the same offenders without adequately addressing the underlying causes of their criminal behavior.

Just a few months after the community court was formed, its first graduate is slated to complete the program May 11.

The Community Court aims to benefit those charged with misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors who often do not have the court diversion programs available to first-time felons, according to Municipal Court Judge Susan Solan. The program brings a wide variety of social services to the attention of offenders and gives them the opportunity to turn their lives around and get out of the cycle of repeat criminal activity.

There are guidelines set in state law as to who may qualify for the Community Court program.

“The prosecuting attorney looks at the docket and sees which offenders might be eligible,” said Solan. “If so, he forwards those names to the public defender’s office.”

When a qualifying defendant has their first court appearance, the public defender explains the rules and conditions of Community Court.

“At the end of the day the defendant has to be willing to participate and agree to address the underlying issue that caused their criminal behavior,” said Solan.

If the defendant agrees to enter a Community Court agreement, they opt-in a not guilty plea to the existing charge and agree to attend a meeting that Thursday to begin their Community Court program. These meetings are held at the Coastal Community Action Program building at 117 E. Third Street, just three blocks from Municipal Court.

There, defendants will meet with Judicial Coordinator Cinnamon Falley. She will be with them throughout the process, including not only keeping tabs on the participant’s progress in the program, but appearing at subsequent court dates alongside them.

The Thursday afternoon meeting is also where defendants can be directed to the particular program they need to complete their community court requirements.

“Say you never got a high school diploma or GED. There are people there from Grays Harbor College to talk to about that,” said Solan. “If you have drug problems, SeaMar is there to talk about treatment. If you don’t have health insurance you can talk to people about getting that.”

Solan says many defendants qualify for free health care, which includes benefits for rehabilitation programs. There are also representatives from WorkSource to help defendants find work. In fact, there are 13 local providers participating, including BHR, Evergreen Treatment Services, Columbia Wellness, HarborCrest, STOP, Action Counseling, NW Justice Project, Domestic Violence Center of Grays Harbor, and Narcotics Anonymous.

“And we just had a meeting with the state Department of Social and Health Services and they will now be participating and available at the Thursday afternoon meeting,” said Solan. “We have had overwhelming support from community partners.”

At their first meeting with Falley, defendants fill out an action plan, a one-page document that details the requirements for completing their Community Court service. When they return to court the following week, Falley is by their side, helping explain the program defendants have agreed to in court. After that, depending on the program, the defendant has anywhere from three to nine months to complete the agreement. During that time, and again depending on the agreement, Falley will meet with the defendant as often as once a week to monitor their progress.

“If the defendant completely fulfills their Community Court agreement the charge will either be lowered or dismissed,” said Solan.

Although the program is in its early stages, there’s already at least one success story coming out of Aberdeen Community Court.

“Even though the program is in its infancy, what we have seen so far is really encouraging,” said Solan. The first participant to graduate the program is scheduled to do so May 11, and has already enrolled in classes at Grays Harbor College.

It’s the organization of all of the participating agencies in one spot that has really made the difference, according to Solan.

“These agencies all exist, but having them come to one spot is really making a difference in peoples’ lives. At the end of the day, the goal is to have people quit committing crime” by addressing the issues that caused the criminal behavior in the first place.

The types of crimes that qualify for Community Court are often “quality of life crimes,” said Solan. “People who are committing theft are often homeless or addicted to drugs. Criminal trespassers are people caught sleeping in alcoves and on private property. Anybody who is considered a serial trespasser could be eligible for housing through the Coordinated Entry housing program.” Coordinated Entry is the single entry point with the Coastal Community Action Program for anyone in the county in search of housing.

The court also addresses one of the ongoing problems in the area, people caught in a cycle of driving while their license is suspended. Citations pile up and it becomes more difficult over time to get a license reinstated as the total fine grows. “One of the things on the action plan can be getting your state identification or driver’s license,” said Solan.

The Aberdeen Community Court is modeled after similar courts in Olympia and Spokane. Solan admitted she was a little nervous when the program began in February, wondering if the community would support such an effort, but in the few months since it began the number of defendants choosing to participate is rising and there has been “overwhelming support from our community partners.”

There are community courts spread out all over the country, said Solan, and the early indicators are this is a good fit for Aberdeen.

“We’ve already seen it making a difference in peoples’ lives, and I think it’s a win-win for Aberdeen; from the people who are standing in front of me to the community in general,” she said. “These defendants are getting the resources they need to turn their lives around and aren’t out prowling vehicles or whatever else it might be.”

Solan believes the Community Court “will dovetail nicely” when the county’s drug court comes online in the fall. She also stresses that the Thursday meeting at the Coastal Community Action Program building is not just for people in the Community Court program; any and all in need of assistance are welcome to attend.