Kristin Hanna recalls a life-changing occurrence. “I went to Israel with a friend and I had this spiritual experience in a shrine,” she says. “All of a sudden, I got this feeling of lightness and then it was like all this weight came off of my shoulders. It became very clear to me that I needed to not just keep practicing business as usual; that there’s a lot more work to be done in the justice area than just making money. From then on, I never wanted to face my career the same way.”
Hanna’s experience in Israel gave her a new outlook and purpose for her criminal law practice at the Law Office of Kristin Hanna in Bellingham. After 25 years practicing criminal law, she decided to go on a sabbatical.
“I thought I’d better start changing the focus of my career,” she explains. That was the beginning of it two years ago. I started having people over to my house on Wednesday; I called it lunch for justice.” The group brainstormed ways to help people without the use of the prison system.
In the last two years, “The City [of Bellingham] has reduced their incarceration by huge amounts,” Hanna says. “They’re just not using the jail very much, which is amazing. Studies show that it really just traumatizes people in a big way.”
Since jail space is limited, authorities are finding other ways to help low-level offenders.
“Many people who are committing crimes have had early childhood trauma and for that population of people, jail is like one of the worst things you could do,” Hanna says. “I think we’ve always known that deep down, but studies are showing that point blank. Punishment is simply ineffective; it just is. Bellingham has really done a lot to move away from that mass incarceration culture.”
“There’s incarceration to punish people, and then incarceration to hold people in jail before their trial, like if they’re dangerous or unreliable and they’re not going to show up in court,” Hanna explains. “For many decades – almost my whole career – they were jailing low level offenders, misdemeanors; it was a bad scene for an already oppressed population.”
The homeless or poor population are often disproportionately affected, often having to choose between paying bail or feeding their families – all before they’re even determined innocent or guilty.
In response, Whatcom County started an Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force. This group of professionals approaches individuals in a non-threatening manner, out of uniform, and helps them access behavioral health resources, drug treatment and other assistance without jailing for minor offenses.
Hanna has been working downtown for over 15 years and has seen a huge change in the homeless population since this has gone into effect. “The city has sent police officers and outreach teams out there to talk to them,” she says. “They’ve provided a lot of housing, and provided Porta Potties out there. I’ve noticed there’s a lot more of a friendly culture in the city.”
Since the task force has gone into effect, she’s seen homeless people picking up their own garbage and having amicable conversations with members of the task force.
People awaiting trial for misdemeanor crimes are now sometimes provided with private home monitoring services by friendship diversion services. It’s inexpensive, saves taxpayer money and allows people to live their lives and spend time with their families while waiting for trial.
For lesser crimes, the court will call with a reminder – a friendly heads up like a courtesy call for a dental appointment. This service gives people respect and shows the offender good faith.
The county occasionally offers Warrant Quash Days, and the Bellingham Municipal Court offers quash days every Thursday and Friday. Instead of living in fear of being caught at any time, a person with a warrant can come in and drop their warrant by scheduling a new court date.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2016 there were 2,162,400 incarcerated individuals in the United States. According to the Office of Financial Management Washington State housed 17,578 inmates in 2016.
Professionals like Hanna and the Whatcom County Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force are attempting to bring light to incarceration issues. They are fueling debate, establishing think tanks and attempting to revamp the justice system overall by helping to rehabilitate offenders with respect and fairness – for the betterment of our whole community.
The Law Office of Kristin Hanna
253-279-0279
