Specialized Courts

Seattle Municipal Court specialized courts focus on specific types of offenses, special community needs and rehabilitative justice programs to meet the needs of both the offender and the community. Each court provides expertise and specialized programs to rehabilitate the offender and restore trust in the community.

Specialized Courts

Domestic Violence Intervention Project

A dedicated intervention program for misdemeanor domestic violence offenses that gives people the tools to have safe, loving and healthy relationships.

Mental Health Court

A dedicated court, with an assigned presiding judge, mental health professional, prosecutor, public defender, and probation staff with mental health expertise.

Seattle Veterans Treatment Court

A voluntary court-monitored, long-term therapeutic treatment program that addresses the mental health and/or substance abuse issues of veterans. This court provides a combination of structured support, healthcare and other social service resources provided by the Federal and State Departments of Veterans Affairs.

Seattle Youth Traffic Court

Part of a broader initiative in Washington State and the U.S. to provide eligible teen drivers charged with a traffic violation the opportunity to maintain a clean driving record. Teen drivers appear before teen peers, who act as judges, jurors, defense attorneys and prosecutors. A peer jury will determine an appropriate sentence based on the nature of the violation, any mitigating factors that the teen driver may provide to the jury and the impact of the violation to the larger community.