"Mental Health Court Without Borders" To Serve Cities

Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg has partnered with King County District Court Presiding Judge Barbara Linde in an effort to expand the Mental Health Court to serve defendants who now appear in any number of municipal (city misdemeanor) courts located throughout the County, the majority of which do not offer treatment or services to misdemeanor offenders suffering from mental illness.   When mentally ill offenders are not connected to treatment and other services, they tend to be repeat offenders that cycle in and out of jail and the criminal justice system.

Under the proposed expansion, District Court would use a portion of the Mental Illness and Drug Dependency (MIDD) fund, and open its doors to eligible defendants, regardless of jurisdiction.   This expansion, if approved by the King County Council, will bring mental health treatment and services to a large, currently unserved population and would reduce the amount of jail and hospital resources used to treat the mentally ill.

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