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Judge Singer reports low recidivism, growth in veteran, domestic violence and youth specialty courts
Summary
Judge Singer told council the court’s specialty programs are producing low recidivism rates and expanding services: veterans court has 110 graduates, DV court shows under 3% recidivism with 74 completions, and a new youth court is handling large referral volumes.
Kingman Municipal Court Judge Singer delivered the department report focused on the court’s three specialty programs: veterans court, the domestic violence (DV) court and a newly established youth court.
Judge Singer said the veterans court, in operation since December 2015, has had 110 graduates with three graduating on May 21; in a recent graduate survey 13 respondents all reported maintaining sobriety since starting veterans court. He noted alumni engagement is a continued challenge and cited efforts to recruit mentors and run alumni events.
On domestic violence court (established 2022), Judge Singer said 117 defendants have participated since inception and 74 have successfully completed the program; participants complete certified domestic-violence counseling, random drug and alcohol testing if indicated, and supervised probation conditions. He told council that the DV court’s recidivism rate is under 3 percent and that team-based supports and local providers have been important to success. The judge said Kingman had been accepted to a mentoring program with other DV courts and that members of his team will attend a June conference in St. Louis.
Judge Singer described the youth court, launched this year, as a treatment-oriented alternative for juveniles with offenses such as repeated liquor or marijuana/paraphernalia violations, certain Title 28 driving offenses, truancy, and other city-code violations. He explained youth-court components include diversion/suspension of prosecution while participants complete programs (e.g., Project Impact, traffic school, life-skills classes), mandatory UA testing when appropriate, grade and attendance monitoring, and family resource connections. If participants complete requirements successfully the case is closed and dismissed; unsuccessful completion is referred back to the city attorney for regular prosecution.
Council members asked about program length and parental accountability. Judge Singer said youth and DV program lengths vary by required counseling (domestic violence counseling commonly requires 26–52 classes) and that parents can face separate charges when neglect or guardianship failures are implicated. The judge emphasized recidivism as the key metric of success for specialty courts.
