Fred Bonner

Seattle Municipal Court

Position Seven

Education: No information submitted

Occupation: No information submitted

Statement: I was elected as a Judge to the Seattle Municipal Court in 1989. Thank you for the honor of being able to serve the City and the people I love for the last 25 years.

My entire career, I have been active and engaged in my community—initiating life skills programs at local high schools, serving on several boards including Big Brothers of King County, teaching law at Seattle University and North Seattle College, serving as a counseling resource for immigrant communities in South Seattle, and leading free trial advocacy seminars to help people better understand and interact with the law.

As a judge, I built the first Community Court in Washington State. Rather than go to jail, non-violent misdemeanor offenders are assigned to community service and connected to social services to address the root causes of their criminal behavior.

A veteran myself, I have always been concerned with the number of veterans who come before the court with serious mental health problems, driven in many cases by PTSD. I helped create a Veterans’ Court where veterans have the opportunity to address criminal issues while also receiving help they need to survive. I believe that veterans have been there for our country and our courts needs to be there for them.

I also created a Day-Reporting Program to address issues of court appearance compliance. Many homeless defendants were being held in jail, because they missed prior court dates. Day-Reporting uses existing city staff for daily check-ins to be reminded of their upcoming court dates without confinement. This program saved over $2,000,000 in jail costs, while making jail beds available for dangerous criminals.

Community Court, Veteran’s Court and Day-Reporting have proven to be more effective than traditional criminal justice processes in reducing recidivism, while still addressing the real human problems of those who appear before me.

As a judge I have been tough but fair, and have a proven record of results. I bring a wealth of experience to the bench, lead with my integrity, and put in the hard work of implementing programs that reflect the values of our city. I will continue instituting reforms that more effectively reduce crime, save money and, more importantly, lives.

I would be honored to have your vote.

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