Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) is partnering with King County Municipal Courts to help individuals resolve their outstanding warrants through the Back on Track warrant amnesty program. The Back on Track program is a regional effort that ensures all individuals have the same opportunity to resolve their warrant, regardless of which… [ Keep reading ]
One very important area of criminal justice reform is in legal financial obligations, or LFOs: fines, fees, costs and restitution imposed by the court. A recent report found that “people of color in Seattle were consistently charged with more fines and fees per capita than White people, across all types of cases,” as this Bloomberg… [ Keep reading ]
Early in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic and the national movement for racial justice sparked by George Floyd’s death, Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) had two community engagement efforts in the works: a court user survey and a series of court user focus groups. SMC has conducted court user surveys in… [ Keep reading ]
This month, Seattle Municipal Court judges voted to eliminate all discretionary fines and fees imposed in criminal cases, representing one step in a court-wide commitment to lessen barriers and increase equity in the legal system. “At a time when people are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and recognizing that… [ Keep reading ]
