Puyallup’s Community Court ‘astounding success’ as alternative to serving time
Kat Abraham was tired.
She had been an addict for four years before she was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia in September 2019. Her arrest led her to the Puyallup Jail, where she realized she needed to make a change.
“I was ready to leave that life,” the 33-year-old mother said. “I needed someone to hold me accountable if I really wanted to change.”
Abraham is one of 107 graduates of Puyallup’s new Community Court program. The pilot program completed its first year in April and presented its statistics to the City Council last month.
The Puyallup Municipal Court reported a 90.5 percent success rate, meaning 90.5 percent of graduates have not been convicted of new offenses greater than a third-degree driving without a license charge.
Since the program’s inception in April 2019, participants have saved the city more than $5,000 in service labor through cleanup projects, the court said.
For the program’s inaugural year, a federal grant covered three-fourths of the case manager’s salary. The grant has expired, but Puyallup is anticipated to invest in the program for years to come. The city’s preliminary budget includes a $81,600 allocation to fully fund the case manager position.
The budget must be approved by the City Council next month before it is adopted.
City council members praised the program. Deputy Mayor John Palmer said in the Sept. 22 meeting that the program should be funded however needed. Council member Cyndy Jacobsen said she knows rehabilitation is hard from family experience and congratulated the court on its success.
Council member Robin Farris, who has spoken publicly about her own sobriety, said the program is essential.
“That is astounding success,” she told the court.
Charges dismissed upon graduation
The Community Court program focuses on rehabilitation. Someone going through criminal proceedings for lower-level crimes can request to join the program. If the participant graduates, charges are dismissed.
Judge Andrea Beall said the process is much more personal than the normal court.
Participants must plead guilty initially, undergo a risk assessment and enroll in treatment programs if needed. If treatment is not covered by insurance, the participant must pay, Beall said.
The judge, the defense, prosecutor and case manager work together to tailor a sentence. Depending on the crime and the participant, the program can last three to 12 months.
Frequent check-ins
The case manager, Liz Bruce, is in frequent contact with participants about their community service, rehab and therapy.
Participants check in throughout the week. Bruce said relapse doesn’t mean the participant is kicked out.
“If you mess up, our program relies on them being open and honest,” Bruce said. “There is a grace that they don’t always get with other programs.”
Honesty was the hardest part for Renee Martel.
“In the lifestyle being addicted and being homeless, we have a tendency to lie out of fear or rejection,” the recent program graduate said. “We want people to like us and we don’t want people to hate us or get in trouble.”
If a participant fails to follow through with treatment or community service, Beall said, consequences can be writing a letter of reflection, watching a YouTube video on the dangers of addiction or a day in jail.
While she doesn’t have hard numbers, the judge believes the program has curbed recidivism.
“It’s really anecdotal, but we have tracked the Community Court and what their involvement has been. We are hopeful that low rate continues throughout the program’s existence,” Beall said.
Significant impacts
The community might not see the benefits of the program immediately, but there are significant impacts, Bruce said.
“It’s really easy to lock somebody up. It’s really hard to stick with someone to get them help,” the case manager said. “A lot of participants have kids, so we’re helping to break a cycle and have their kids grow up in a more positive environment.”
The coronavirus pandemic has made the program a bit more difficult, Bruce said. Participants call in, rather than attend in-person appointments, and the global health crisis has stunted their ability to find mental health and substance abuse services.
Martel, 52, was homeless for the last five years of her 22-year addiction. She wanted to be a better role model for her son after she was caught shoplifting.
The program helped lower barriers to her recovery, with a case manager to connect her to resources like treatment and counseling.
“This program has given me a second chance. Everything is falling in place for me,” Martel said. “I’ve been sober eight months, and I have housing and things that I never would have followed through on.”
Community court provides bus passes to attend weekly meetings as needed and is flexible about meeting participants where they are. Martel didn’t want to let anyone in the program down because they had been so supportive.
“They make you feel like they are a part of your family,” she said.
Before starting the program, she was hospitalized and told that her kidneys were failing.
“I came so close to dying,” Martel said. “I want to live and at that point I was dead set on graduating the program and continuing to be sober.”
For Abraham, she’s learned to love herself in the program. She has just been promoted as a shift lead at a fast food restaurant and wakes up every morning with her three children.
“I’m a really awesome person now. I know I wasn’t all that lovable and great before, but now I had a chance to love me for me,” she said. “I was the biggest challenge.”
