Washington’s Therapeutic Courts: Innovative Programs Continue to Expand in the State
You may have heard of alternative courts in Washington, often referred to as therapeutic courts. Drug courts, in particular, have become quite common and are present in 30 counties in Washington. But drug courts are not the only therapeutic courts operating in our state. Mental health courts, veterans’ courts, and family therapeutic courts, among others, are places where Washingtonians can receive support and work through their challenges in hopes of correcting course and not returning to the court system.
According to the Washington State Association of Drug Court Professionals and Washington Association of Drug Courts, the first drug courts in Washington were established in King and Pierce Counties in 1994. These were some of the first drug courts in the nation and Washington was a West Coast leader, with three of the first five drug courts in this part of the country.
The last few years have seen an expansion of drug courts to the district and municipal court levels. Other types of therapeutic courts have expanded to these lower courts as well. Most of Washington’s therapeutic courts, whether they are at superior or municipal court, use alternative approaches to justice for criminal offenders where a factor such as mental health, substance abuse, or some other behavioral health or life circumstance played a role in their court involvement. Once they successfully complete their program participants will have their charges dismissed.
Washington also has therapeutic courts that aim to help parents who are in danger of having their children removed from the home in a dependency action. Family Treatment Courts, Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts, and Early Childhood Courts are three such courts in the state. You can find more information about Washington’s therapeutic courts at the Washington Courts’ new Therapeutic Courts website.
The new Therapeutic Courts web page launched in October of 2023, with links to a wide array of information. Each type of court is described and resources are provided at the site, including training resources, housing and behavioral health resources, and links to best practices and models for therapeutic courts. There is also a directory of all the therapeutic courts in Washington and a tool for court self-assessment that was developed by the Administrative Office of the Courts, the State Healthcare Authority, and the Center for Justice Innovation.
Many local court websites have pages dedicated to their therapeutic courts. They often provide information regarding eligibility to participate, the referral process, and program expectations. Links to local courts can be found at the Washington Courts’ Court Directory. Therapeutic courts are authorized by statute at RCW chapter 2.30.
More resources:
Selected Research and Data
Drug Courts: Adult Criminal Justice, Washington State Institute for Public Policy
The Evidence for Washington State Drug Courts, Washington State Association of Drug Court Professionals
Drug Court Participants: Recidivism and Key Outcome Measures, Washington Department of Social and Health Services
King County MIDD Summary Report and Data Dashboard
Transformational Learning in a Washington State Veterans Therapeutic Court: A Holistic, Multiple-Case Design Study by Thomas Lee Williams
The Problem of Problem-Solving Courts, 54 UC Davis L. Rev. 1573 (2021)
Child and Family Outcomes of the Safe Babies Court Team — A Scoping Review, 149 Children and Youth Services Review 106956 (2023)
Therapeutic Court Informational Websites
Coming Together Again: Therapeutic Courts in WA (video), Teach With TVW
Washington State House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee Therapeutic Courts Presentation (2019)
National Treatment Court Resource Center
Washington State Association of Drug Court Professionals and Washington Association of Drug Courts
Mental Health Courts, The Council of State Governments Justice Center
DUI/DWI Court Resources, National Treatment Court Resource Center
Justice for Vets, All Rise
Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts, Tribal Law and Policy Institute
National Community Court Initiative, Center for Justice Innovation
What is a Community Court? (video), Center for Justice Innovation
Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Guidelines, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Washington Family Treatment and Healing to Wellness Courts, Washington Courts Family and Youth Justice Programs
Early Childhood Courts, Washington Courts Family and Youth Justice Programs
Human Trafficking Courts, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime
Library Collection
Taking Problem-Solving Courts to Scale: Diverse Applications of the Specialty Court Model (2021), edited by Eileen M. Ahlin and Anne S. Douds
A Court of Refuge: Stories from the Bench of America’s First Mental Health Court (2018) by Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren with Rebecca A. Eckland (read our book review here) (SC)
