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District court wins AOC pretrial grant, plans videos and cross-agency sessions to improve communication
Summary
Judge Leland described a $7,100 Administrative Office of the Courts grant to produce pretrial videos and host experts; he said the goal is both public-facing materials and to catalyze cross-agency communication about pretrial and criminal-justice change.
Judge Leland told the county commissioners on April 15 that Spokane County District Court won a $7,100 grant from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to produce public-facing pretrial videos and to host expert sessions on pretrial practices.
"We got dollars 7,100," Judge Leland said, describing a fast application process and the intent to hire an intern, produce videos to explain basic court processes for people with limited literacy and to use the work as a pilot for broader county communications.
Judge Leland said the videos will be generic enough for statewide reuse and that the AOC is encouraging the county to be a model. He emphasized another objective: bringing criminal-justice departments together. He said the AOC will send two pretrial experts to Spokane next week at no cost and that the county will invite staff across departments to reduce siloing and to plan for future facilities or operational changes.
County staff discussed administrative support: Human Resources has helped with hiring and some indirect costs, and the judge requested guidance on whether HR indirect costs would be reimbursable from the grant or should be paid by the county. County staff said they would provide billing guidance and consider indirect-cost policy updates for future grants.
Why it matters: The grant is small but intended as a catalyst for interdepartmental coordination on pretrial services, outreach, and planning for potential facility or service changes in the county’s criminal-justice system. Judge Leland said the video product will be posted to court web pages by July 1 and that the project could support a larger AOC grant application later.
Next steps: The county will proceed with the small grant, finalize hiring, coordinate with AOC experts for next-week sessions, and consider grant indirect-cost handling for future similar efforts.
