Skagit County proclaims May as Treatment Court Month; judges and partners highlight community court expansion

Skagit County commissioners proclaimed May 2025 as Treatment Court Month after presentations by Superior Court and district court judicial staff about the county’s therapeutic and community court network.

A Superior Court representative summarized two county therapeutic programs: Family Recovery Court, serving parents in dependency cases since 2007, and the county Drug Court, a felony‑based, two‑year program in operation since 1997. The representative said Family Recovery Court uses regular staffing sessions, incentives and sanctions and an emphasis on treatment and case coordination to keep families together when safe to do so.

A District Court judge described the county’s network of community courts that operate in all cities and in district court, noting the model’s emphasis on rapid intake and on‑site treatment assessment. Mount Vernon’s city prosecutor, defense attorneys and social‑service providers were present; the judge said the program can schedule a person cited for a misdemeanor into community court the following week for assessment and treatment referral, reducing the time to help by many months compared with conventional criminal processing.

The Board approved the proclamation by unanimous vote. Commissioners and court leaders said the model focuses on treatment, graduated responses and close partnership among prosecutors, defense counsel, law enforcement, probation officers, treatment providers and community partners. Court leaders asked for continued county support for treatment courts and for system partners that carry out assessments and housing or recovery service placements.