Midtown Community Justice Center

One of the country’s first problem-solving courts, the Midtown Community Justice Center reduces crime and incarceration while strengthening public trust in the justice system.

For more than 30 years, the Midtown Community Justice Center has created compassionate, timely responses to low-level crimes that are restorative to both the individual and the broader Midtown community. In partnership with the New York court system, the Justice Center offers meaningful pathways out of the justice system and family court through community service and on-site support for needs like mental health, housing, employment, and more. We also work to prevent contact with the legal system in the first place, providing people on the streets and in shelters with immediate life-saving resources and connections to longer-term services.

Community Justice Alternatives

The Midtown Community Justice Center responds to low-level offenses in ways that support a stronger future for both the individual involved and the community as a whole. Through local community service programming and on-site social services—like individual and group counseling, mental health care, career guidance, and more—we help address the underlying needs that bring people into the system while strengthening community well-being. With the Manhattan Misdemeanor Mental Health Court, we offer meaningful, constructive responses for people charged with low-level crimes dealing with complex mental health needs.

Supporting Young People in Family Court

Our Youth PACT program gives young people ages 14 to 17 arrested for weapons possession a chance to avoid prosecution by participating in restorative programming that addresses the root causes of gun violence. Young people receive help from a mentor to develop social-emotional goals, strengthen their support system, and work on the challenges that led up to their arrest.

Trust-Building Street Outreach

Launched in 2021, Community First is a partnership between the Midtown Community Justice Center, Fountain House, the Times Square Alliance, and Breaking Ground that engages people dealing with housing insecurity and mental health challenges in the Times Square area to build trust, offer immediate resources like hygiene kits and overdose prevention supplies, and open a path towards longer-term support.

Engaging the Community

The Midtown Community Justice Center invites people who live and work in the community to get involved in identifying local challenges and crafting solutions that work for everyone. By bringing together residents, local business owners, service providers, court staff, and others, we develop collaborative, restorative approaches to neighborhood problems.