Seattle Launches "Connection Court," Offering Services Instead of Jail for Low-Level Offenders
Seattle is a city in King County, Washington. Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans announced on October 8 a new sentencing program called "Connection Court": people convicted of low-level, nonviolent offenses can engage in substance-use treatment, job support, health benefits and peer support instead of serving jail time or paying fines. The court convened for the first time on October 7.
"Solving our city's serious public safety challenges requires changing people's behavior, in ways that last. My experience prosecuting criminal cases taught me that one-size-fits-all policies do not deliver those long-term changes we need," Evans said at the October 8 press conference. "Smart justice means holding people accountable who repeatedly break the law, and also helping those who are ready to be helped, while maintaining supervision and accountability as that process plays out."
Mayor Katie Wilson praised the program. "Connection Court recognizes that people with complex needs need tailored approaches. If individuals are cycling through our criminal legal system over and over that means something isn't working," Wilson said in a statement from the City Attorney's Office, calling it "a thoughtful, intentional approach to break that cycle while maintaining accountability."
The model has drawn skepticism. Some public defenders called it "watered-down," likening it to the "Community Court" established in 2020 at the height of the George Floyd protests and scrapped in 2023.
According to the Seattle Times' October 9 report, Connection Court is part of the Wilson administration's broader public-safety package: last week the City Council also passed the nation's first ban on "surveillance pricing" in the Fair Pricing and Transparency Ordinance, signed by the mayor on October 6. Meanwhile the mayor faces headwinds — recent polls show her approval sliding as voters remain worried about safety and the business climate. Whether Connection Court can strike the balance between accountability and support will be a test of her "progressive reset" promise.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：西雅图金县法院大楼。摄影：Joe Mabel，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
