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Judge Singer reports low recidivism, graduations and new community court pilot
Summary
Judge Singer told the council the city’s specialty courts (Veterans, domestic violence, youth and the new community court) show strong outcomes, with veterans and domestic violence programs reporting high completion rates and recidivism under 3%; the judge described the new community court as a pilot focused on property compliance alternatives to criminal convictions.
Judge Singer presented the municipal specialty courts’ annual update at the April 7 meeting, describing Veterans Court, the domestic violence court, the growing youth court and a newly formed community court pilot.
The veterans program reported high completion numbers: "Last calendar year we had 22 veterans graduate," Singer said, and noted that inpatient treatment for severe addiction cases and mentor programs have been influential in successful outcomes. Singer emphasized recidivism as the key performance metric and said the municipal treatment courts achieve recidivism rates well below general benchmarks: "If you can keep it under 10% you're doing good — we're under 3% here in Kingman," he said.
Singer said the domestic violence court has produced high completion numbers since it began in 2022, with roughly 105 of 135 participants successfully completing the program as of March 2026; the program aims to keep domestic‑violence designations off participants’ records if they complete requirements that include counseling and sobriety monitoring.
Youth court has expanded beyond the earlier truancy program to address juvenile alcohol/tobacco/marijuana and select Title 28 traffic violations, combining school and rehabilitation supports; Singer noted the program offers suspension‑of‑prosecution outcomes for eligible youths who complete assigned educational or counseling tasks.
Community court is a new pilot that focuses on property‑maintenance and neighborhood beautification issues, seeking alternatives to criminal convictions if owners come into compliance; Singer said it is a one‑year trial monitored by presiding judges and staff to gather statistics on effectiveness.
Council thanked Judge Singer and staff for the programs and their outcomes and praised partnerships with community organizations and workforce services that help participants find employment and housing stability.
