Community Courts

What are Community Courts?

Community courts are an experiment in community-based justice. Like other collaborative justice courts, community courts aim to improve efficiency in judicial proceedings, match sanctions and services to offenders, and build bridges between public and private agencies that serve offenders. Community courts focus on quality-of-life crimes and on cleaning up neighborhoods that are deteriorating from crime and neglect. The courts encourage community groups to identify neighborhood problems and become involved in developing solutions.

The Midtown Manhattan Court, which opened in New York City in 1993, was the first community court of its kind. It offers a wide array of services and programs in which participation can be included as part of the probation requirement. Often these are misdemeanor or infraction cases, such as quality-of-life violations, petty theft, prostitution, or drug-related charges that are disturbing to community members but are not appropriate for traditional court proceedings.

Each community court is unique because it is developed in response to community priorities. For instance, another community court, the Red Hook Court in Brooklyn, focuses on family issues, while a community court in Harlem focuses on juvenile justice. All community courts include principles of community involvement, balanced and restorative justice, accountability, and linkage to treatment or other services.

Currently there are 22 community courts nationally, with another 10 in the planning stage. These include California courts in Van Nuys (Los Angeles County), Santa Ana (Orange County), and San Diego. Some community courts, such as the one planned for Orange County, seek to integrate programs and services from a range of existing collaborative justice courts.

Resources

Center for Court Innovation (New York State)