When Judge Damon Shadid was first elected to the Seattle Municipal Court bench, he said that the people of Seattle deserve to have dedicated, hard-working, exceptional public officials who understand that they are elected to serve the people. Over the past four years, he has delivered on those expectations.

Public safety is something we are all concerned about, but our safety is not improved by a criminal justice system that employs the same historically ineffective tactics: jailing people who are poor, homeless, mentally ill, and gripped by alcohol or drug addiction, then releasing them to begin the cycle all over again.   We need judges who understand this cycle and how to break it. Judge Shadid is leading an effort to restructure and re-invigorate the Mental Health Court. While this alternative court attempts to address the root causes of crime through mental health and addiction services, Judge Shadid is seeking to expand the program in a way that will serve a greater number of those suffering from untreated mental illness. He is working with criminal justice partners in the City Attorney’s office, Public Defender’s Office, treatment providers, and King County to increase participation in the court.

Judge Shadid works every day to address the evolving problems facing our criminal justice system. He believes that those convicted of crimes should be held accountable, but they must also be connected with effective services that will help them to permanently exit the criminal justice system. He has developed programs that help address homelessness and the heroin epidemic through an expansion of the Seattle Municipal Court’s Community Resource Center and aims to partner with health care providers who provide medically appropriate treatment for addiction issues. Each person referred to these services is a person who can be kept out of jail, both now and in the future.

Judge Shadid has taken a leadership role with judges statewide, serving on the board of the District and Municipal Court Judge’s Association. He also mentors new attorneys and reaches out to local schools, inviting school age children to the court to demystify the criminal justice system.

There is much more work to be done, and Judge Shadid looks forward to the challenges ahead.