THRIVE Court In Kitsap County

Kitsap Defense Attorney Jennifer Witt
THRIVE Court in Kitsap County

One of the new options under the umbrella of Therapeutic Court is called THRIVE. This new program stands for Teaching, Healing, Resilience, Independence, Voice, and Empowerment. This new program is available to a person who has been exploited or trafficked in their life. This can mean anything from survival sex, sex for drugs, having a pimp, labor exploitation, or other behaviors that indicate exploitation. Most importantly, there is not a requirement that you testify against your pimp or trafficker but you will be required to comply with subpoenas. If this is something you are concerned about (you know that the Prosecution will need your testimony in a trial) you should address this with your defense attorney.

Does my charge have a nexus to my current or past abuse?

The key to qualifying for THRIVE is that the applicant’s exploitation must, in some way, be connected to the current offense. For this reason, the THRIVE team has to look at eligibility on a case-by-case basis to review the facts around the applicants pending criminal charge. However, there are some criminal charges that will automatically make you ineligible such as sex offenses, serious violent offenses (as defined by statute), or where the accused appears to be more of a trafficker than the one being exploited.

How do I apply?

The Prosecutor’s office has a therapeutic court form which must be submitted before the team will conduct a needs assessment and substance abuse disorder evaluation. The team will review your application and determine if the necessary nexus exits in your case. If you are approved, you will meet with the team every other Friday morning.

What is required of a THRIVE participant?

The program is 18 months long, which includes three 6 month phases. Some participants will need inpatient treatment first and then the participant will begin outpatient treatment and mental health treatment. Unlike other therapeutic court programs, the participants in THRIVE do have the option to participate in out of county therapeutic programs. Additionally, another unusual component is that the team may allow you to appear via video rather than in-person for every court appearance. With such intense treatment, this option of video appearance makes compliance with treatment requirements quite a bit easier.

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