Clallam County prosecutors, judges and court staff outline therapeutic-court gains and funding plan

District Court 1 staff briefed the Clallam County Board of Commissioners on program outcomes, caseload trends and near-term funding strategies for therapeutic courts on Nov. 4.

Marissa Williams, district court administrator, said the county's mental-health support program began about three years ago and has generated 83 referrals; 39 people entered formal contracts with the program. "We started mental health support about 3 years ago," Williams said. She reported that of the 39 participants who entered contracts, 18 percent were diagnosed with a severe mental illness and 82 percent had co-occurring substance-use disorders. Williams said 20 people are active in the program, three are veterans or active military, four have opted out and six have been terminated from the program.

The court described the therapeutic approach as intensive and multiagency. A probation officer and a therapeutic-court manager provide ongoing supervision and coordination with treatment partners; deferred-prosecution participants (typically for alcohol-related driving offenses) are generally on a two-year treatment calendar with minimum one-year participation and regular court appearances. "Regular contact and that accountability helps with folks who are in recovery," Williams said.

A program graduate identified in the meeting as Arisa read a prepared statement praising the court: "Mental health court means a lot to me. . . . It is about personal growth, rehabilitation, and an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and turn the wrong part in our lives into something right." The graduate credited program courses and employer cooperation with making completion possible.

On outcomes, presenters said nine participants have graduated; of those graduates, the court reported one new nonviolent criminal charge (about a 12 percent recidivism rate among graduates) and no new violent offenses to date. County staff cited benchmarking data from the national organization RISE to argue therapeutic courts reduce recidivism and related jail costs.

Funding and budget implications were central to the discussion. Staff said the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) therapeutic-court grant award for 2026 is smaller than the 2025 allotment; the county plans to temporarily backfill the difference with HARP growth funds and will relinquish those funds if AOC restores the prior award. Commissioners asked about timing and learned that AOC typically notifies award levels within days of July 1. Williams said the AOC's decisions are influenced by measurable program results and that the county provides annual outcome reports.

Other budget items discussed included a referenced $85,000 award that covers funds through June (the remainder would be covered by HARP funds), about $100,000 of projected probation fee revenue (the coroner and court staff clarified such fees remain permissible under applicable state law), and a small post-conviction grant request (about $3,400) to fund additional domestic-violence MRT training and to expand programming such as anger-management classes.

Staff also summarized ongoing municipal contract negotiations. Court, prosecuting attorney and city representatives have updated cost models for prosecution, public defense and district-court services and plan to present an overview of jail costs at a meeting later this month. After those presentations, the cities will decide how to proceed with interlocal agreements.

The court asked commissioners to continue supporting therapeutic programs while the county navigates a smaller AOC award and said the programs appear to be reducing recidivism and downstream jail costs. Commissioners and staff agreed to continue annual reporting so the AOC and county can track outcomes and funding return on investment.