Youth detained in juvenile correctional facilities are known to have an elevated rate of mental health symptoms, but far less is known about the mental health status of juveniles under community supervision. In this study, 812 youths participating in alternative to detention programs in New York City were screened for mental health disorders. Forty-eight percent of boys and 62% of girls were indicated for possible mental health problems. The most frequently appearing flags were for mania and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Reentry courts are specialized courts that assist with the reintegration of formerly incarcerated persons after their release in the community. This article, co-authored by Center for Court Innovation and RTI International researchers and published in the Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Eds. Gerben Bruinsma and David Weisburd, 2014, pp. 4351-4360), provides an accessible overview of the reentry court model and relevant research.
Drug courts are the oldest, most prolific, and most studied of the major alternative court models, which also include domestic violence, mental health, community, and reentry courts. What distinguishes drug courts is their focus on cases involving an underlying drug addiction. This article, authored by a Center for Court Innovation researcher and published in the Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Eds. Gerben Bruinsma and David Weisburd, 2014, pp.
A community court, often called a neighborhood or community justice center, is a neighborhood-focused court that applies a problem-solving approach to local crime and safety concerns. This article, authored by a Center for Court Innovation researcher and published in the Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Eds. Gerben Bruinsma and David Weisburd, 2014, pp. 408-416), provides an accessible overview of the community court model, relevant research, and related controversies.
As the first U.S.-based evaluation of the The Fourth R: Strategies for Healthy Young Relationships, a dating violence prevention curriculum, this randomized controlled trial tests the effectiveness of the program with middle school students in the Bronx, New York.
This report provides process evaluation findings from eight reentry courts. The report concluded that organizational partnerships were critical to the success of the reentry courts and identified several common implementation challenges. The report also includes qualitative data from interviews and focus groups highlighting that although certain areas could be improved (e.g. employment and housing), most reentry court participants had positive impressions of the program.
With funding from the U.S. State Department, the Center for Court Innovation along with the Inter-American Commission for Drug-Abuse Control of the Organization of American States completed a diagnostic study of the Addiction Treatment Court in Guadalupe, Nuevo León, the first program of its kind in Mexico. English version separately available here.
Some people mistakenly think that when teenagers experience intimate partner violence, it's less serious than when adults experience it, explains Andrew Sta. Ana, supervising attorney of Day One, which seeks to end teen dating violence. "There's this idea, 'Oh, teen DV. That must mean domestic violence or intimate-partner violence 'lite'...
Greg Berman, director of the Center for Court Innovation, reflects on Alfred Siegel's contributions to the field of justice reform at Community Justice 2014.
The Center for Court Innovation’s youth justice programming includes arts programs, youth courts, and alternative-to-detention programs. These initiatives promote accountability, problem solving, and engagement. This fact sheet describes the Center’s youth programs and the seven key principles that guide them.