Community courts, and the need for alternative incarceration

In Auburn, we’re pretty proud of our Community Court. And why shouldn’t we be? Each week, over a dozen participants meet with a panel of lawyers and a judge who are firmly on their side. Each one of them wants to see the person succeed, and they try really, really hard to make that happen.

On Saturday, April 29, the City of Auburn hosted the “Community Courts and the Need for Alternatives to Incarceration” event in the Auburn Community Court space. This event was organized by the Seattle University School of Law student liaisons to the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission. Over 100 people attended the event, about 70 on Zoom. We had participants from every corner of the state and the globe (we had a participant from the Supreme Court of Australia).

The event was very informative and resourceful. The panelist covered a lot of ground, including the obstacles and challenges that jurisdictions can face when starting, developing, and maintaining a community court. Participants will be provided with a roadmap/toolkit that the Office of Court Innovation will launch on their website in the upcoming weeks.

Judge Taguba, Sergio Flores, and public counsel Anne Dederer and Dave Cedarblade were present at the event. Sergio was asked to be a panelist and speak on his experience as a City Prosecutor. Councilmember Kate Baldwin was also in attendance.

Read more about our Community Court graduations and the people who want to better themselves and their community.