One of the enduring critiques of community courts is that they undermine the defense bar and erode due process protections. This essay in The Judges' Journal contends that community courts can actually enhance defense practice by providing opportunities for heightened advocacy and individualized case resolutions.
This study reports the results of a survey of 1,002 adult residents of New York State concerning their perceptions of the courts. The study found that New Yorkers have high levels of trust and confidence in the courts in general, although racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African-Americans, are far less supportive than are whites. The study also determined that most New Yorkers have little knowledge of how their local courts work.
Derek Miodownik, restorative systems administrator for the Vermont Department of Corrections, talks about the state's innovative experiments in community and restorative justice, including Citizen Reparative Boards, which give panels of community members a role in working with misdemeanor offenders, and Circles of Support and Accountability, which link community members with parolees convicted of serious crimes.
There are dozens of community courts in the U.S. and around the world. This paper explains how they've adapted key principles of problem-solving justice—such as enhanced information, community engagement, collaboration, and accountability—to local conditions.
This paper--a joint project of Policy Exchange and the Centre for Justice Innovation--summarizes the experiences of 10 innovative criminal justice projects across the United Kingdom and the United States.
Dan Cipullo, director of the Criminal Division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, discusses why and how the court expanded its community court approach from one neighborhood to cover the entire city.
