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Spokane Municipal Court outlines community court model, case management expansion and drug‑court planning
Summary
Court staff described Community Court’s harm‑reduction approach, new case‑management services, an on‑site medication-assisted treatment partnership and funding constraints that limit sustained housing support. Municipal Court said it is preparing but not yet launching a federally funded drug court that was awarded nearly $1 million.
Sarah Thompson, the municipal court coordinator for Community Court, told the Public Safety and Community Health Committee on May 5 that Spokane’s Community Court operates on a harm‑reduction model focused on reducing law‑enforcement contact and connecting participants to services rather than abstinence‑only approaches.
Thompson said Community Court was established in 2013 in partnership with the Center for Justice Innovation (CJI) and has held mentor‑court status since 2018. She described recent program changes: a case‑management team added in 2024 and an on‑site medication‑assisted‑treatment (MAT) partnership introduced in 2025 with consistent-care providers that allow immediate assessment and linkage to withdrawal management, inpatient programs and injectable psychotropic treatment when clinically indicated.
How community court works
Thompson described a voluntary intake process. Participants first meet with a public defender,…
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