Letter to the editor: Problem-solving courts are worth the investment

I deeply respect Washington Superior Judge Dustin Houchin as a friend and as a professional, but I must respectfully disagree with his April 23 column challenging the value of problem-
solving courts.

The numbers will never tell the full story. Life isn’t about stats. It’s about people. Your points about the current studies are well taken, and data should be collected in a standardized manner to determine the way ahead for problem-solving courts. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

I’ve spent eighteen years as a prosecutor—16 in Morgan County, and the last two in Lawrence County. During that time, I’ve seen a lot. I started out as a skeptic of problem-solving courts. I saw them as inefficient, a poor use of already-limited resources. I believed that courts should be about holding people accountable, not holding their hands.

Then I saw the courts in action.

Problem-solving courts are not soft on crime—they are smart on justice. They are about accountability AND opportunity. They are about creating a path forward, especially for those whose criminal behavior stems from substance use, mental health struggles or trauma.

As prosecutors, we’re taught to rely on statistics—on convictions, recidivism rates, and sentencing guidelines. But justice isn’t a number. Justice is a name. Or rather, names: Brandon. Jeffrey. Amy.

These are not hypotheticals—they are real people in my community who’ve gone through PSCs and emerged with jobs, dignity, and a future. Some are now showing up for their kids, being present in a way that once seemed out of reach. Some are paying it forward, mentoring others. These aren’t just success stories; they’re reminders of why we do this work in the first place.

This is especially true when it comes to veterans problem-solving courts. As a combat veteran myself, I believe deeply in the mission of these courts. These are men and women who wore the uniform, who bore the scars of battle—some visible, many not. They didn’t come back the same, and we shouldn’t expect them to navigate the justice system the same.

Veteran courts are a profound return on investment. First, because it’s the morally right thing to do. And second, because the infrastructure is already there—the Veterans Administration has the necessary resources. What veteran courts do is connect veterans to those resources, cut through bureaucracy, and restore lives. It turns confusion into clarity, despair into direction.

If I were to spend my entire career working on PSCs, and only one person turned their life around because of it—that would be enough for me. Truly. Because that one person is somebody’s child, somebody’s parent, somebody’s spouse. That one person matters.

We cannot afford to build a justice system only around punishment and numbers. We must build one that sees the person behind the case number. PSCs, including Veterans Court, do exactly that.

And when I look into the eyes of someone who made it through one of these courts, someone who is now living instead of simply surviving—I know we’re on the right path.•

Lawrence Superior Judge Robert “Bob” Cline, team member of substance abuse and veteran problem-solving courts