From March of 2005 through December of 2009, over 5,436 defendants completed 49,436 community service hours helping 25 community organizations restore neighborhoods and serve others in need.

Participants are identified at point of entry and are given the option to participate in Seattle Community Court if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Community Court Phases

Phase	PILOT PHASE	STABILIZATION PHASE	EXPANSION PHASE PART1 (BJA Grant Expansion)	EXPANSION PHASE PART 2(Dispositional Continuances)
Time Period	March 2005-December 2005	January, 2006-December, 2006	January, 2007-December, 2008	January, 2009-present
Geographic Scope	Downtown Commercial Core	Downtown Commercial Core	Entire City	Entire City
Disposition Types	Guilty Plea & Conviction	Guilty Plea & Conviction	Guilty Plea & Conviction Pretrial Diversion	Guilty Plea & Conviction Pretrial Diversion Dispositional Continuances
Annual Number of Defendants	2005 228	2006 291	2007    2008 896     852	2009 1000+
Community Service Partners	Two	Two	Sixteen	Twenty Three+
Community Service Supervision	Provided by Site	Provided by Site	AmeriCorps Team & Provided by Site	AmeriCorps Team & Provided by Site

Community Court Plea Defendants

Those with past criminal histories who opt into the program appear before the Community Court judge. Assessed for social service needs, they are required to make social services linkages in addition to completing community service hours. From March 3, 2005 to December 31, 2009, there were 3,391 defendants who opted in to Community Court and this group completed 36,022 community service hours. Defendants are able to enter the program up to three times with their required hours increased each time according to the sentencing framework.

Community Court, "I feel was above and beyond any experience I've ever had." - Community Court Participant

		1st Community Court Case	2nd Community Court Case	3rd Community Court Case
Gross Misdemeanor	Community Service	2 days	4 days	6 days
	Jail Alternative	5 days	10 days	15 days
Misdemeanor	Community Service	2 days	3 days	4 days
	Jail Alternative	4 days	6 days	8 days

Community Court Demographics

• 69% were male, 31% female and the average age was 41
• 39% were successful in meeting their court mandates
• 48% of defendants were Caucasian, 29% African-American, 10% Native American, 7% Hispanic, 4% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 2% Other/Unknown
• 56% of defendants were homeless. The average length of homelessness for this population is 15 years.
• 65% are Chemically Dependant
• 82% were unemployed; the average length of unemployment is 5.5 years.
• Community Court eligible participant offenses:
  • Theft - 53%
  • Trespass - 19%
  • FTR- Civil Infraction - 12%
  • Prostitution - 5%
  • Other Offenses - 10%

Pretrial Diversion Program

First time offenders who commit diversion-eligible crimes are given an opportunity to have their charges dismissed and retain a clean criminal record. Those who opt in required to complete eight hours of community service helping to restore neighborhoods. They are also screened for social services needs, and, if necessary, must make linkages with organizations and programs that help them overcome their problems.

From the beginning of 2007 through December 31, 2009, 2,045 first time offenders opted into the Pretrial Diversion Program and completed 13,414 hours of community service

Pretrial Diversion Demographics

• 65% were male, 35% female
• 80% were successful in meeting their court mandates, 7% of cases are pending
• 62% of defendants were Caucasian, 16% African-American, 1% Native American, 2% Hispanic, 11% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 8% Other/Unknown
• Pretrial eligible participant offenses:
  • Theft - 61%
  • Patronizing a Prostitute - 6%
  • Trespass - 6%
  • Minor Exhibiting Effects/Consuming/Possessing Alcohol - 4%
  • Prostitution - 2%
  • Other Offenses - 24%