Crossposted from the DES Express

When the Inquest Program started moving into a vacant courtroom in the King County Courthouse, the room looked, well, a bit dismal.

“It was a courtroom that hadn’t been regularly used for the last few years,” said Claire Thornton, an Inquest Program attorney. “There was dust everywhere. Members of the team pitched in to clean, mop, and wipe shelves down.”

Once Courtroom E-753 was painted, Thornton, whose husband is an artist, felt like the room really needed art. The program once was housed in the Clark Children and Family Justice Center, which was designed with art as an integral aspect.

The Inquest team wanted to make their new home a welcoming and beautiful space so everyone who entered, especially jurors, would have a variety of art pieces to appreciate during a difficult and often emotional process. The Inquest Program manages fact-finding inquiries into the manner, facts, and circumstances of deaths involving a member of law enforcement or corrections in the course of their duties. Read more.