Despite months of collaboration, the King County Department of Public Defense (DPD) has distanced itself from Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans’ new therapeutic court and her additional strategy to punish repeat offenders with harsher sentences. The public defenders think Evans’ system, christened “connection court,” has restrictive eligibility requirements and that her approach to repeat, low-level crime offenders doesn’t do anything to solve the root problems of crime. That’s the same problem they have with the current system.

Seattle Municipal Court hasn’t had a community court, a therapeutic court where people can be connected with services rather than a jail sentence, since Republican Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison killed it in 2023. On the campaign trail last year, all the Seattle city attorney candidates vowed to revive it (even Davison proposed a fucked up reimagined “drug court”).

In a matter of 10 months, Seattle City Attorney Erika has followed through on her promises. Sort of. Connection court, kicked off this week and will hear cases every other Wednesday, giving people same-day access to service connections. If they complete those “engagements” assigned by the court, their case will be dismissed.

Evans’ connection court has strict eligibility requirements, including a three-month period where anyone in connection court cannot commit another crime or they’ll be kicked from the program and have their case prosecuted the normal way. In another new program, Evans will also recommend “aggravated” sentences for repeat offenders.

As a candidate, Evans called for an “expansive” new community court that “reduces crime and recidivism” and allows “people who commit quality of life crimes to participate in the system.” Her platform didn’t mention recommending harsher sentences for repeat low-level offenders. When she took office, she said she would work with DPD on the new vision. Those conversations fell apart back in August, according to Katie Hurley, special counsel for criminal policy and practice at DPD.

“The current eligibility criteria for connection court, I would not characterize as ‘expansive,’” Hurley says, referring to Evans’ campaign platform. “I would characterize them as restrictive… more restrictive than we saw in the last iteration of community court.”