What’s Happening with Spokane’s Community Court/Library Partnership?

Drug abuse. Mental health issues. The two are often linked, and it is hard to know which comes first. Does heavy drug use fray a person’s mental condition? Or are those struggling with their mental health more likely to use drugs, seeking in them an escape from their torment?

Perhaps this question will never be answered. One thing is certain, however: Such individuals frequently run afoul of the criminal justice system.

Historically, that system has been ill-equipped to handle such people. “Without specialized attention,” writes Paul Newby, chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, “that population poses a higher risk for criminal recidivism and is also less likely to complete a court-ordered probation or child welfare case plan.”

To address this problem, many states have introduced specialized “treatment courts” for substance abuse and mental illness. The courts focus on recovery rather than punishment. According to the National Treatment Court Resource Center, more than four thousand such courts operate in all fifty states, plus the District of Columbia and several US territories. They are funded by a mixture of state and federal appropriations.

Though treatment courts operate in different ways, all of them administer what is often called “therapeutic” or “restorative” justice. In North Carolina, for example, the courts consist of a specially trained, community-based team, often including a judge, a defense attorney, a prosecutor, a probation officer, treatment providers, and a dedicated treatment court coordinator. In the civil context, that team may also include a county services attorney or a child welfare worker. The team’s goal is to pool community resources to offer support while also holding the participant accountable.

Some areas are blessed with another partner in restorative justice: libraries.

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One such area is Spokane, Washington, which in 2013 began hosting the city’s community court. Developed in the 1990s, community courts focus on nonviolent cases. As Kirsti MacPherson puts it in American Libraries, “Crimes like murder or arson require a traditional court of justice. Crimes like graffiti or shoplifting don’t have to.”

Nor, the thinking goes, do infractions committed by people who suffer from drug addiction or mental illness.

The State of Washington has several types of therapeutic courts:

• Drug courts
• Mental health courts
• DUI courts
• Veterans therapeutic courts
• Tribal healing to wellness courts
• Juvenile therapeutic courts
• Family therapeutic courts
• Early childhood courts/safe babies courts
• Human trafficking courts

And, of course, community courts. 

These courts typically consist of two rooms: one in which a judge handles cases, and one that acts as a community resource center, in which social service providers help defendants and members of the public with counseling, housing, and other needs. It’s a perfect setup for a public library. “When you walk into a courthouse,” explains Andrew Chanse, executive director of the Spokane Public Library, “there isn’t necessarily a sense of hope or opportunity. The library helps provide that. It’s open to everyone, and there isn’t the stigma that a courthouse might have. It’s a welcoming place.”

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Spokane moved its community court out of the libraries in 2019, ending a six-year run. More than one thousand participants a year accessed a variety of services during that tenure, including behavioral health, housing, crime victim assistance, health insurance, education/job training, and more.

It didn’t stay away long. In 2022, the court was moved back. “Community Court relies on community partnerships to successfully manage each participant’s case,” says Judge Mary Logan, who helped create the court and served as its presiding judge. “The support of Central Library signifies the effectiveness of this multi-disciplinary team approach. The collaborative efforts of the community partnerships will result in improved outcomes, lower recidivism, and provide a safe, more secure, and healthier community.”

Nowadays, the court handles about one hundred people each week. Funding comes not from the city or county, but via the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts. The AOC funds the state’s other therapeutic courts, and due to budget cuts, it has been forced to reduce that funding by nearly 40 percent since July 2023. In fact, there is talk of combining all the therapeutic courts into one to save money.

The court that would be spared? Community Court. This implies that the court’s work is universally celebrated. Yet not everyone is thrilled with the court’s performance. In 2025, Lynden Smithson, former Spokane city attorney, ran against Judge Logan for her seat on the court. On his campaign website, he acknowledged that Community Court was “designed to provide compassionate accountability and get defendants out of the cycle of crime.” However, he said, the court “is failing, it is not holding defendants accountable, and therefore they swirl in a continuing cycle of crime, drug use, and homelessness.” 

Smithson promised to operate the court “transparently,” though he concluded that promise with a threat: “When the evidence shows recidivism rates are unacceptable, we will reassess our procedures and correct them to be more effective.” Fortunately, Judge Logan won reelection, continuing her oversight of the court.

The American prison system was created to do many things, including punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation. This last goal tends to get lost amid the constant and dispiriting news coverage of terrorists, school shooters, child molesters, and other violent criminals. They may be unable to change, but that isn’t true of the lesser offenders who churn through therapeutic courts. Such courts play a vital role, and libraries are their natural allies.

Here’s hoping for more community court/library partnerships.

Visit www.everylibrary.org to learn more about our work on behalf of libraries. 

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