As Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison continues her efforts to crackdown on crime, it was announced last week that she made a formal request to the Seattle Municipal Court that her office be allowed to actually prosecute repeat offenders – as opposed to sending them to a community court. Community Court was instituted as an alternative to jail for people with low-level misdemeanor charges. Its intent was to connect people to housing assistance, employment support and drug treatment; it fits more in line with the social justice movement.
Ms. Davison says chronic offenders simply are not a good fit for community court. She says those offenders that meet the standards of her newly implemented High Utilizer Initiative (‘HUI’) should be excluded from Community Court because it is the wrong intervention for individuals committing repeat, high-impact criminal activity. She wants repeat offenders that meet certain criteria to face jail time, probation and fines. In short, she wants them punished for their behavior. She claims this is the only way to make a real impact on public safety within Seattle’s city limits. Most of the cases that fit the HUI guidelines fall within the realm of thefts, trespassing, assault and weapons violations, all of which directly impact others in the general public. What do you think about Ms. Davison’s request? Should the goal be to punish or rehabilitate those who repeatedly violate our laws?
If you or a loved one is in a bind as a result of a criminal charge, immediately contact a Seattle Criminal Attorney. A Criminal lawyer is not going to judge you, and understands that everyone makes mistakes. Hiring a Seattle Criminal Lawyer to help can – at a minimum – reduce penalties, and can help direct people on how to best deal with their criminal charge, and many times even get the charge(s) dismissed. So it should go without saying that someone cited for a misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor or felony should hire a qualified Seattle Criminal Lawyer as soon as possible. Criminal charges can cause havoc on a person’s personal and professional life. Anyone charged with a crime in Washington State should immediately seek the assistance of a seasoned Seattle Criminal Lawyer.
