EVERETT — A push by Everett to divert people with mental health issues who are facing misdemeanors into a special court is starting to show results.
Established in 2013, the city’s Mental Health Alternatives Program has graduated 10 people, and recidivism has been low, said Laura Van Slyck, the presiding judge at the Everett Municipal Court who oversees the program.
Those 10 offenders came into the program with 125 criminal charges among them.
The Daily Herald reports that in the year since those 10 have graduated, only one has reoffended, leading to two new charges.
Van Slyck told the Everett City Council that the investment in the program has been worth it.
“You’ve had people out for over a year and we have not heard a peep from them,” she said. “Not even a traffic ticket.”
The program is targeted at nonviolent offenders whose mental health issues might cause them to reoffend. Instead of jail time, people the program get pointed toward services they need to keep them straight, whether it’s therapy, medications or stable housing.
Graduates of the program may have charges dismissed.
Participants go before Van Slyck twice a month for advice, guidance or direction for at least a year.
As of this month, there are 19 people taking part in the Mental Health Alternatives Program. Only two people since the court’s inception have been dismissed from the program for failing to keep up with the requirements of the court.
