Before developing a community court project, planners need to define the major problems a neighborhood faces. This article breaks down that process into six steps.
1. Ask Residents What They Think
Purpose:
To get an understanding of the community, and the issues residents feel are important; and to identify community assets that could help in developing solutions.
How to do it:
The basic techniques of community engagement—stakeholder interviews, focus groups, attending community meetings, administering community surveys—will help you get the information you need. Some helpful tips are:
- Engage a broad spectrum of local voices, including youth.
- Seek out those with special knowledge of the community, in addition to the average citizen.
- Ask people to identify possible solutions as well as problems.
- Find out what people think of the criminal justice system.
- Make firsthand observations and assessments of the neighborhood.
2. Gather Hard Data About the Problem
Purpose:
To obtain quantitative data that will sharpen the understanding of problems identified by community members.
How to do it:
Relevant numbers are available from an array of sources, including the United States Census Bureau, the state and local court systems, police departments, district attorneys' offices, welfare agencies, departments of education, health and social services, housing authorities and other government agencies. You can also collect your own numbers by:
- Observing court proceedings and recording dispositions over a week or a month to understand how judges respond to particular cases.
- Polling defendants held prior to arraignment to find out what kind of problems they have.
- Talk to system insiders who might be able to accurately estimate numbers that are otherwise unavailable.
3. Analyze the Current Response
Purpose:
To understand what is working and what is not working with the current ways of addressing local problems. Planners must study the current procedures in-depth, identifying weaknesses, gaps in service, inefficiencies and unsatisfactory outcomes.
How to do it:
You can interview key players in the criminal justice system (police, prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, judges, court clerks, probation officers, etc.) and outside the criminal justice system (social service providers, health care staff, etc.) who might have valuable insights. You can also review statistics with system insiders and undertake first-hand observations of key processes.
4. Share Idea with the Community
Purpose:
To ensure that all stakeholders understand what problem or set of problems the project will address, and that there is a general consensus that this is the right approach.
How to do it:
This step not only helps focus the planning effort, but it also demonstrates to the residents that the community is a real partner in the project. You can get the word out by:
- Drafting a problem statement that can be circulated among key stakeholders.
- Conducting follow-up community meetings to share what the data revealed.
- Sending letters to stakeholders.
- Checking in with key stakeholders by phone.
- Contacting elected officials and fill them in on what you're doing and learning.
5. Develop Solutions
Purpose:
To craft concrete solutions to the local crime and public-safety problems identified by the community and criminal justice stakeholders.
How to do it:
Once the problem is defined, planners can start brainstorming potential solutions. No doubt some ideas are already in hand. More can be found by talking to system players, such as judges, attorneys, cops, parole and probation officers, court officers and service partners. Ideas often come from other jurisdictions that are handling similar problems in creative ways. Planners should also find out what's been done in the past—what worked, what didn't and why?
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6. Monitor Results
Purpose:
To study the effectiveness of the project as it moves to implementation and to continue to identify new problems and appropriate solutions on an ongoing basis.
How to do it:
The most successful projects pursue reflection and self-improvement on a regular basis. This requires collection of data for self-evaluation and can be done a number of ways. Here are some ideas:
- Survey community members regularly.
- Form a collaboration with a local university to engage in ongoing research of your project.
- Devote project resources and personnel to monitoring program results.
- Develop and maintain on-going communication with the community your project serves through newsletters, formal and informal meetings, and involvement in your program.