SMC Staff Attend Conferences to Broaden Their Knowledge
Earlier this week, five SMC staff attended the District and Municipal Court Management Association's (DMCMA) annual conference in Cle Elum. Topics in this year's conference included: Becoming a more strategic leader, managing multiple generations, maximizing a court's budget, disability access and inclusion, judicial independence, shifting future leaders and motivating the dispirited, importance of data and how it can be used, innovative justice through court consulting, pretrial services and the Hope Card Program and updates from the Department of Licensing and the legislature.
Earlier this month, 11 of SMC's probation and pretrial counselors attended the annual Misdemeanant Probation Association (MPA) Conference in Chelan. They were able to learn about procedural justice and how trust, fairness and transparency improve client outcomes, got tips on probation counselor self-care and resilience, and learned system-level reform strategies rooted in establishing trust and advocating for client success. The team is excited to bring these new tools, insights and connections into their work at SMC to better serve the community.
Grant & Funding News
In early April, the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women awarded a grant to conduct a comprehensive outcome evaluation of the Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP).
DVIP started in 2018, when the court entered a multi-year, multi-discipline and multi-agency collaboration and research study with a common purpose: to prevent domestic violence and improve safety for survivors by providing individualized, state-certified better intervention for domestic violence perpetrators.
Over the next three years, the research team will assess the court’s program impact on decreasing offender recidivism, increasing survivor hopefulness and empowerment, boosting utilization of supportive services and identifying the reasons some participants drop out of treatment. Read more on our blog: http://bit.ly/3Gq7ASy
In late March, SMC staff Katie Truelove and Margaret McCurdy welcomed two members of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) for a site visit.
SMC receives state funding for its specialized court programs, such as veterans’ treatment court and mental health court. AOC administers the funds and ensures the court is in compliance. Requirements for compliance include a site visit, quarterly reporting, self-assessments, and regular participation in meetings and training. Read more on our blog: http://bit.ly/441Z0TF
HB 1112 Removes Pro Tem Judge Restrictions
SMC saw a legislative win in April with House Bill 1112 being signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson. This piece of legislation removes the city residency requirement for pro tem judges in cities with a population over 400,000 people.
Seattle is the only city in the state impacted by this law change, but with passage of this bill, it will become easier for SMC to hire pro tems. SMC's Judge Faye R. Chess worked in tandem with the bill's sponsor, Rep. Darya Farivar of North Seattle, to get this bill introduced. She also testified twice on behalf of SMC in front of legislators in Olympia – first in front of the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee, and then in front of the Senate Law & Justice Committee.
HB 1112 is state law effective July 27, 2025. Watch the bill signing: http://bit.ly/4cE69vy
|
