The City of Redmond is looking for volunteers to help run the operations of the community court.

Community Court is a non-traditional approach that works to provide practical, targeted solutions rather than traditional punishment. The King County Community Court in Redmond is a collaborative effort between King County District Court, King County Library System, City of Redmond, and community service providers.

Community courts seek to respond to crime through a combined strategy of holding individuals accountable and offering to help participants with a range of social needs, according to the city.

Interested volunteers must be over 18 years of age, pass a criminal background check, and generally must be able to give a six-month commitment with community court hours typically being on Wednesdays, from 2 to 4 pm.

Several community court roles are needed, including:

Community Court Room Navigator, with duties such as; develop a solid working knowledge of the Redmond Community Resource Center (ACRC) and the community services partners; assigning provider breakout rooms, tracking attendance for each session, and facilitating the exchange of necessary information to court Coordinator; documenting court participants, communicate with defense attorneys on the justice involvement of court visitors, reporting any critical incidents, and tracking court ordered appearances; acting as a liaison to judicial officers, legal counsels, court staff, all interested parties and the public, among other duties.

Community Resource Room Navigator, with duties such as; conducting orientation for new providers visiting the ACRC; assisting court participants to identify which providers they need to see and making sure they understand the need for verifying documents; coordinating with providers to ensure continuity of service for participants who may need assistance; and providing support and assistance to defendants in navigating general information, defense attorney and provider breakout room, as necessary.

Community Court Notetaker, with duties that include; attending court sessions, obtaining assigned courtroom calendar, and record court proceedings/actions as needed; tracking cases submitted to the court; communicating scheduled court hearing status, note of any actions/ changes of court participants, document necessary actions taken and provide status reports to court Coordinator/Clerk; and developing a solid working knowledge ACRC and community social services partners among other tasks.

For more information, contact Andrew Lorenzen, King County Community Court Coordinator, at alorenzen@kingcounty.gov or 206-471-0275.