Community Court meets most Thursdays at 1:30 PM
2816 Auburn Way N
King County District Court (KCDC) and the City of Auburn have partnered to bring a community court option to Auburn.
Community court is an alternative, problem-solving court for some non-violent misdemeanor cases. It allows cases to be handled
by referrals to community resources that address a participant’s
underlying needs that likely led to criminal activity.
Re-thinking criminal justice
The criminal justice system traditionally seeks to reduce crime
by punishing people. While fines or jail can be effective –
and sometimes necessary – deterrents, they do not address
the problems that many people struggle with that might
have led them to commit crimes. Such problems can include
homelessness, extreme poverty, addiction or mental health
problems. While not everyone with these challenges commits
crime, community court provides an effective alternative for
people who do. It holds participants accountable while offering
resources and support to build a better life.
How it works
An in-depth evaluation is conducted to determine what
personal challenges the participant faces and the types of
services that could help them.
Community court still involves a judge and attorneys, but the participant is connected with resource providers and community
volunteers. They are provided encouragement and support to
meet their goals through frequent court check-ins. This court
model has been proven effective at reducing new crime.
Rather than continuing to make participants who are struggling
feel separated from their community, they are provided an
opportunity to be a part of it in a law abiding and productive
way. Community court participants are required to remain
crime free, and often must perform community service to take
responsibility for their crimes. If a participant does not follow
through with their commitments, their case is returned to
traditional court.
Community court is only available to participants who commit
“quality of life” crimes. Some misdemeanors, as well as felonies, are
handled in traditional court.
- Work Crew Screening: Work Crew Screening applications can be viewed and filled out here: Work Crew Screening Application. YOUR CASE NUMBER WILL BE REQUIRED.
If you need further information, please call 253 931-3040 or email humanresources@auburnwa.gov.
Resource Center of Auburn
Essential to the program is a community resource center co-located with the court. The resource center provides participants
– and anyone else in the community – ready access to a wide variety of service providers that can help them overcome their challenges.
Services include access to treatment, housing, transportation
discounts, DSHS benefits, etc. A community resource center with
so many vital services available at one time makes a significant
difference for the entire community.
During COVID-19, physical resource centers cannot operate,
but a virtual resource center is available for anyone to access by
video or telephone.
Reducing crime
KCDC currently operates community courts in Redmond
(opened March 2018) and Shoreline (opened January 2020). The
Redmond program has seen great success and the resource
center has been accessed by non-court participants from all
over the region. Although it is too soon to prove what impact
these courts have had on crime, data from other community
courts show it is an effective way to reduce recidivism.
Saving taxpayers money
Community court can help taxpayers save money by reducing
the need for costly jail services. Additionally, it helps lower crime
costs borne by victims. For example, the Red Hook Community
Justice Center in New York saved the community $15 million in
victimization costs.
Learn more about community court programs in King County
Judge Matthew York is the presiding judge for the Auburn Community Court. He was appointed as a King County District Court (KCDC) judge in April, 2017, and subsequently elected in November, 2018. He is currently assigned to KCDC’s Auburn courthouse location and hears both criminal and civil matters. He also serves on the KCDC Personnel Committee.
Prior to joining the bench, Judge York served as a prosecuting attorney and as a civil attorney at a county and municipal level. He extensively served as a judge pro tem in courts all over King County since 2008, where he gained extensive experience as a judge for criminal and civil matters.
Judge York is excited to be starting a community court in Auburn and feels that this alternate form of accountability offers an opportunity that traditional court fails to provide while still striving to reduce recidivism and keep the people of Auburn safe.