Community Court meets most Thursdays at 1:30 PM
2816 Auburn Way N
King County District Court (KCDC) and the City of Auburn have partnered to bring a community court option to Auburn. Community court is an alternative, problem-solving court for some non-violent misdemeanor cases. Individuals who become part of community court enter a pretrial diversion agreement. Participation in community court and the diversion agreement gives individuals greater access to appropriate resources and assistance, in order to address the participant’s underlying needs that likely led to criminal activity.
Rethinking criminal justice
The criminal justice system traditionally seeks to reduce crime by punishing people. While fines or jail can be effective - and sometimes necessary - deterrents, they do not address the root of the problems that lead individuals to engage in criminal behavior. Such problems can include homelessness, extreme poverty, addiction or mental health problems. While not everyone with these challenges commits crime, community court provides an effective alternative for people who do. It holds participants accountable while offering resources and support to build a better life.
How it works
An in-depth evaluation is conducted to determine what personal challenges the participant faces and the types of services that could help them. Community court still involves a judge and attorneys, but the participant is connected with resource providers and community volunteers. They are provided encouragement and support to meet their goals through frequent court check-ins. This court model has been proven effective at reducing new crime. Rather than continuing to make participants who are struggling feel separated from their community, they are provided an opportunity to be a part of it in a law-abiding and productive way. Community court participants are required to remain crime free, and often must perform community service to help restore justice and accountability in the community they harmed. If a participant does not follow through with their commitments, their case is returned to traditional court. Community court is only available to participants who commit “quality of life” crimes. Some misdemeanors, as well as felonies, are handled in traditional court.
Resource Center of Auburn
Essential to the program is a community resource center co-located with the court. The Resource Center of Auburn provides participants – and anyone else in the community – ready access to a wide variety of service providers that can help them overcome their challenges. Services include access to treatment, housing, transportation discounts, DSHS benefits, etc. A community resource center with so many vital services available at one time makes a significant difference for the entire community.
Reducing crime
KCDC currently operates community courts in Redmond (opened March 2018) and Shoreline (opened January 2020). The Redmond program has seen great success and the resource center has been accessed by non-court participants from all over the region. Although it is too soon to prove what impact these courts have had on crime, data from other community courts show it is an effective way to reduce recidivism.
Saving taxpayers money
Community court can help taxpayers save money by reducing the need for costly jail services. Additionally, it helps lower crime costs borne by victims. For example, the Red Hook Community Justice Center in New York saved the community $15 million in victimization costs.
Community members who would like to volunteer for Community Court in Auburn can contact Haley Chuculate, Court Coordinator, at 253-931-3040 or hchuculate@auburnwa.gov.
Learn more about community court programs in King County
Articles:
For some, community court reduces jail bookings by 87% - Crosscut
Auburn Community Court takes holistic approach to crime - Auburn Reporter
Some of our Community Court Partners include:
- American Behavioral Health Systems (ABHS)
- Peer Navigators
- Alcoholics & Addicts Helping Alcoholics & Addicts (AAHAA)
- A Walk to Freedom Counseling (AWTF)
- Sound Integrated Health
Judge Leah Taguba is the presiding judge for the Auburn Community Court. The King County Council unanimously appointed Leah Taguba to the King County District Court bench in 2021.
As the daughter of immigrant parents, Judge Taguba grew up in South King County and is the first Filipino American woman to be appointed to the King County District Court bench. Judge Taguba is currently assigned to the Auburn Courthouse location.
After graduating Southwestern Law School, Judge Taguba served as a King County Prosecuting Attorney (KCPAO) for over fifteen years. As a prosecutor, she handled cases ranging from criminal misdemeanors through third strike felony offenses. She made charging decisions; negotiated thousands of cases to resolution; and went to trial as the prosecutor of various crimes. After gaining years of trial experience, Judge Taguba transitioned into leadership positions supervising the KCPAO’s District Court Unit. As a supervisor, Judge Taguba prioritized teaching new prosecuting attorneys and law school interns about the importance of pursuing justice that balances accountability and rehabilitation of the defendant, with community safety and victim interests.
Judge Taguba’s additional professional experience includes working as a Statistician-Demographer for the U.S. Census Bureau in Washington D.C.
Judge Taguba is committed to helping create a court system that engenders community trust. She believes in fairness and seeks to infuse equity into all aspects of her legal career. Judge Taguba strongly supports alternative and treatment courts, as well as diversion programs from the criminal justice system, where appropriate. As a King County Prosecutor, Judge Taguba helped develop criminal diversion programs and partnered with community-based organizations and other stakeholders to support therapeutic and restorative approaches to criminal cases.
Judge Taguba is an appointed member of the Washington State Supreme Court’s Minority and Justice Commission and is a member of the Race and Criminal Justice Task Force 2.0.