Washington — Judges — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Judges

Defendants are regularly condemned to years, decades, or life in prison for minor infractions because of minimum sentencing statutes. If judges had more discretion in sentencing, then sentences could be more proportional to the crime, more specific to the individual defendant, and minimize the negative impact of minimum sentencing laws without inherently needing those laws repealed.

Posts tagged Washington

Is giving judges more discretion in sentencing the right reform? Lawmakers to decide

“The starting point of the deliberations is a stack of recommendations from a state commission that would give judges more discretion in how they sentence adults convicted of felonies. The change could help the state reduce its reliance on incarceration and move more toward rehabilitation of offenders. The goal of overhauling the criminal sentencing law is to improve the system by simplifying it, but there are key questions looming for lawmakers, said Rep. Roger Goodman, the Kirkland Democrat who is chairman of the House Public Safety Committee.“

The Olympian

August 25, 2019

Judges, SentencingPhillip ReevesAugust 25, 2019The Olympian, WashingtonComment

Seattle’s top prosecutor and public defender accuse presiding judge of improper conduct

“I’ve never seen a prosecutor and a defender unite to pursue a concern about judicial behavior … and I’ve never seen a judge do the things that this judge has been accused of doing, though I can make no judgment about whether these accusations are true or false.“

Seattle Times

April 25, 2019

JudgesPhillip ReevesApril 25, 2019Seattle Times, Seattle, WashingtonComment

Judged in the Court of Public Support

“This is the King County Community Court in Redmond, Washington, an alternative and collaborative approach to the justice system. Launched in April, the court takes place every Wednesday afternoon for about two hours. It includes all of the traditional players (judge, prosecutor, defense attorneys), but instead of a trial that focuses on guilt and punishment for those found guilty of low-level offenses, it focuses on problem-solving.“

City Lab

September 21, 2018

JudgesPhillip ReevesSeptember 21, 2018City Lab, Washington, RedmondComment