King County Drug Diversion Court

Program Description
Governance
A Unique Partnership
Eligibility Requirements
Transferring Cases Into Drug Court

Program Description

The mission of King County Drug Diversion Court is to combine the resources of the criminal justice system, drug and alcohol treatment and other community service providers to compel the substance-abusing offender to address his or her substance abuse problem by providing an opportunity for treatment and holding the offender strictly accountable.

The KC Drug Court was implemented in August 1994, the twelfth Drug Court in the country. The KC Drug Court is a pre-adjudication program that provides eligible defendants the opportunity to receive drug treatment in lieu of incarceration. Eligible defendants can elect to participate in the program or proceed with traditional court processing. After choosing to participate in the program, defendants come under the court's supervision and are required to attend treatment sessions, undergo random urinalysis, and appear before the KC Drug Court judge on a regular basis.

Drug Court Waiver and Agreement

If defendants meet the requirements of each of the four phases of KC Drug Court, they graduate from the program and the charges are dismissed. If defendants fail to make progress they are terminated from the program and sentenced on their original charge. While KC Drug Court is a minimum 10 month program, the average graduate requires 15 months to complete. KC Drug Court provides treatment to an estimated 400 individuals at any one time.

Drug Court Policy and Procedures Manual 

Since KC Drug Court's inception in 1994, over 1,770 people have successfully completed the requirements and graduated from the program.  In recent years, KC Drug Court has significantly expanded the availability and range of treatment and ancillary services. More than 1,000 of the graduations have occurred since 2005. 

Governance

The KC Drug Court Executive Committee provides oversight of the program.  The committee is comprised of representatives from the County, including Superior Court, Judicial Administration, Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Office of Public Defense, County Council, County Executive, Adult and Juvenile Detention, Community and Human Services, Sheriff's Office and the Seattle Police Department and community-based treatment.  The Executive Committee is responsible for setting major policy regarding the DDC.

A Unique Partnership

Drug Diversion Courts are built upon a unique partnership between the criminal justice system and drug treatment community, one which structures treatment intervention around the authority and personal involvement of a single Drug Court judge. Drug Courts are also dependent upon the creation of a non-adversarial courtroom atmosphere where a single judge and a dedicated team of court officers and staff work together toward a common goal of breaking the cycle of drug abuse and criminal behavior.

Eligibility Requirements

Since 1994, KC Drug Court expanded legal eligibility criteria on four occasions, in 2003 a Drug Court calendar was added at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, and in recent years, KC Drug Court significantly increased the availability and range of treatment and ancillary services. Eligibility criteria were changed in November of 2008.

             Eligibility Requirements Form

Transferring Cases Into Drug Court

Defendants whose cases have been filed mainstream, may ask to have the case reviewed again by the Prosecutor. Defense attorneys are to provide a completed transfer request and any supporting documents to the Drug Court Prosecutor for his/her review. A copy of the transfer request should also be provided to the Drug Court Prosecutor's paralegal. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office can be reached at 206-296-9000.

             Request for Transfer into Drug Court Form