Lane Shaw doesn’t take a moment for granted.

“I am four years, six months, and 10 days clean,” he said to applause at the May 13 meeting of the King County Council. A 2023 King County Drug Diversion Court (KCDDC) graduate who now works as a KCDDC Peer Services Specialist, Shaw said prior to entering KCDDC, drugs and crime were all he knew. The resources, accountability, and support offered by therapeutic court helped him change his life.

“Today I have my own house, my own cars,” he said. “I have a dog, you know?”

Wearing a t-shirt that read, “I recover loudly to keep others from dying quietly,” Shaw was among those present to accept the proclamation made by the King County Council recognizing May as Therapeutic Court Month.

Therapeutic courts in King County are King County Drug Diversion Court, King County Family Treatment Court, King County Regional Mental Health Court, King County Regional Veterans Court, Juvenile Therapeutic Response & Accountability Court (JTRAC) and several District Court Community Courts. Read more.

Pictured: Lane Shaw, a drug court graduate turned peer counselor, with King County Councilmember Jorge L. Barón.