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Committee flags data needs for court reforms, warrants and public defense funding
Summary
Committee members urged more data to measure court resolution efficiency, warrant numbers and the effects of proposed legislation and public defense standards; members noted a possible $10 million Senate budget item for public defense but said implementation is uncertain.
At its April 8 meeting, the Whatcom County Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force Legal and Justice Systems Committee reviewed goal No. 5 of the Justice Project Implementation Plan, which calls for court reforms to reduce incarceration, decrease pretrial detention and increase case-resolution efficiency.
Members noted the need for more granular data to understand causes of prolonged incarceration, case backlogs and warrant prevalence. A staff member said county data provided in November 2024 included warrant counts for all…
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