Behavioral Health Adult Felony Therapeutic Courts

Mission Statement


The mission of the Spokane County Behavioral Health Adult Felony Therapeutic Courts is to offer eligible offenders a highly structured and cost-effective pretrial release program that combines treatment, education, and intensive supervision to reduce drug use, the impact of drug dependency, and/or mental illness on associated criminal activity.

Background


Continuing its tradition of excellence, adherence to Evidence-Based Practices (EBP), and offering alternatives to traditional prosecution, Superior Court has restructured its Adult Felony Treatment Court. Under the umbrella of the Behavioral Health Adult Felony Treatment Courts are the following programs:
Clearly delineating the 3 different programs allows the Treatment Courts team to provide specialized adjudication and evidence-based, individualized treatment services to offenders with mental illness, chemical dependency, and those with co-occurring disorders.

Therapeutic Drug Court


Superior Court's Therapeutic Drug Court has been in existence for over 20 years. This program, Superior Court's "pocket of excellence," as it is described in the Blueprint for Reform, continues to respond to the needs of its clients and the community through its use of Evidence-Based Practices (EBP).

Felony Mental Health Court


The Felony Mental Health Court opened its docket in December, 2013, after extensive collaborative efforts involving representatives from Prosecuting Attorney, Public Defender, Department of Corrections and a community-based substance abuse/mental health treatment agency. This program has continued to grow, now serving close to fifty participants.

Eligibility Criteria


If you have any questions regarding the possibility of being eligible for any of the Behavioral Health Adult Felony Therapeutic Court programs, you must first and foremost talk to your currently-assigned defense attorney about your interest in the program.  Once you have discussed this with your attorney, that person will need to discuss it with the assigned prosecuting attorney on your case, who ultimately makes the decision whether you can be referred to the program.