The election year rush of new programs and public safety initiatives will include a push from City Attorney Ann Davison to establish a new “Drug Prosecution Alternative” her office says will provide “an incentive for defendants arrested for drug use and possession to connect with services and commit no new law violations to have their drug cases dismissed.”
The new program comes as Davison mounts her reelection campaign as drug cases in the city “spiked in Q1 2024” and have continued at a high “approximate average of about 25 to 35 cases a month.”
The plan calls for Davison’s office to refer people arrested for misdemeanor drug offenses to the Seattle Municipal Court Resource Center. If they agree to “participate in substance use assessment,” complete a drug test, and accept a Stay Out of Drug Area” court order, plus have no criminal violations for a 60-day period, subjects can avoid prosecution.
“SMC’s pretrial services team will support participants in meeting the conditions of the program including connecting them to community services and supports through our Community Resource Center as soon as feasible” said Seattle Municipal Court Resource Center Presiding Judge Anita Crawford-Willis in the announcement of the proposal. “The CRC and its partners will provide options and pathways to treatment and support, should the participant be ready to engage.”
It’s a familiar recipe. As Publicola reports, Davison shut down a similar Community Court process two years ago as she took office.
Davison says the new approach will provide individuals “with a route to dismissal of charges and assistance with substance abuse issues” while also speeding up case resolution, and providing better reporting and data “that builds community trust and offers transparency on outcomes.”
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OMG! HOLY MOTHER OF IDEAS BATMAN!
MAGA Madam Flowers just lost her campaign ideas. The cities lawyer is doing it w/o all the sending money to her and fighting to get it solved. It happened as a course of regular operation. Also known as “effective governance”.
Drug court is one of the best bang for your buck deals we have as tax payers. A HUGE force multiplier. Pennies on the dollar costs.
Ugh another “catch and release” program.
This is EXACTLY why our streets turn to shit…
not sure what to make of this. is this Davison admitting she was wrong about this program? or will they attempt to spin this as something new when it’s clearly something they spiked 2 years ago that would have been rather useful during that period? Either way it’s 🤡
Didn’t we try this in the past between 2009-2013 for non-alcohol and non-cannabis-related drug possession cases but with no success?
There should also be an option for a one-way plane ticket out of here, hopefully back to family that can take responsibility for their failed offspring.
Trying to take credit for a successful program she axed years ago because it’s an election year. Pathetic.
The land of no consequences continues. This is why the city is a lot grosser than it used to be.
For the blameless victims of the gathering scourge of “imaginal power abuse syndrome” terrorizing our brave enlightened civic heroes there remains hope for their righteous salvation. If they will only accept the benign healing spirit roaring like an Orange Shirt Banshee up their glory holes, agree to an uber-rigorous “power abuse assessment” performed by certified rectal analysts, accept patently unconstitutional forfeitures of their core civil liberties, and duly prance in rigorous accordance with Queen Anne’s papal interpretation of proper Egyptian serfdom for two moons, they may graduate from Clown College. Thank you, and be sure to vote Nazi Party to ensure spiritual bliss.
Didn’t they try this in Portland and it failed? It’s a good idea in theory, but you need to build the infrastructure first! Build up a support network of providers, open more facilities that are spread through the city and then activate a program like this.