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Judge: Shelton treatment court restored after brief shortfall; e-filing and community-service programs advancing
Summary
Judge Greer told the council the city’s treatment court has recovered from a recent funding shortfall and is fully funded through state sources; the city is also preparing for mandatory statewide e-filing and expanding community-service programming that helps avoid jail time.
Judge Greer updated the Shelton City Council at the Feb. 2025 study session on the city’s treatment court and other court-related operations, saying a near-term funding problem had been resolved and the court is operating on state funding.
“We had a bit of a funding crisis about 30 days ago, but we have fixed that. And so the court is fully funded,” Judge Greer said, adding that treatment-program funding is delivered primarily through state grants and related sources that also cover treatment, probation assistance and a bilingual court facilitator.
Why it matters: The treatment court provides supervised programs meant to reduce recidivism and support participants with behavioral-health and substance-use services. Funding and operational stability are central to the court’s ability to continue diversion and treatment services rather than send people to jail.
Other court projects
- E-filing and Odyssey: Greer told council staff are preparing for mandatory state e-filing. “It is mandated by the state court system,” Greer said, describing state training and system changes that will replace paper filing with electronic records.
- Community service program and first-offender diversion: Greer said the court’s community-service program reduces jail costs and keeps public spaces maintained; staff have also trained locally to add services such as fingerprinting. He said the court is piloting diversion for first-time shoplifting cases to intervene early.
- Staffing and case loads: Greer reported steady filings and emphasized the court handles both criminal and civil matters; earlier comments in the meeting referenced statewide discussion about public-defender workloads and a divided Washington State Supreme Court on case-load rules.
What council asked: Council members asked for numbers on program outcomes. Greer said about 20 people typically graduate from the treatment program and noted only a small number have reoffended since graduation.
Next steps: The court will proceed with the e-filing transition, continue to pursue state funding for treatment services and continue expanding community-service and diversion options where state funding allows.
