The RHCJC has become a model for similar courts in other U.S. neighborhoods. As of January 2005, the following jurisdictions currently have community courts in operation: Atlanta, Georgia Austin, Texas Brooklyn, New York (RHCJC) Dallas, Texas Dakota County, Minnesota Denver, Colorado Hartford, Connecticut Gresham, Oregon Hempstead, New York Indianapolis, Indiana Los Angeles, California Memphis, Tennessee (four courts) Minneapolis, Minnesota New York, New York (Midtown Community Court) New York, New York (Harlem) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Portland, Oregon (three courts) San Diego, California St. Paul, Minnesota Syracuse, New York Washington, D.C. Waterbury, Connecticut West Palm Beach, Florida The following jurisdictions are planning community courts: Buffalo, New York Orange County, California Richmond County, New York Seattle, Washington Tacoma, Washington Beyond these U.S. Community Courts, a Community Justice Center has been established in Liverpool, England. Other European, Australian and South African cities are exploring similar courts.

In the past decade, hundreds of experimental community courts have been established around the U.S., revamping the nation’s troubled criminal justice system from the inside out. This “legal revolution” is an ongoing process, dating back to a 1979 article in which Herman Goldstein advocated replacing a police emphasis on procedures with a focus on developing genuinely effective responses to common problems. By the early 1990s, several courts from Massachusetts to Florida had began to work with integrated police and prosecution services, preferring supervised treatment over incarceration. In 1993, the nation’s first community court, New York City’s Midtown Community Court, opened and combined traditional punishments with on-site treatment and training. The following year, Congress’s Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and Violence Against Women Act paved the way for the creation of problem-solving justice centers across the country.

Unlike traditional courts, community courts focus on bringing citizens and the criminal justice system together in order to solve community problems. By integrating the work of traditionally separate agencies—criminal justice operations, social service providers, public defenders, police and community members—community courts are a product of collaboration.

Community courts believe in crime prevention: future serious crimes can be deterred when relatively minor crimes receive an appropriate response proportional to the crime itself. Due to a high volume of cases in traditional courts today, most defendants are encouraged to plea bargain in exchange for release with time served. As an example of a community court, the Red Hook Community Justice Center (RHCJC) views crime as both an individual responsibility and the result of social conditions, seeking remedies on both levels. The community court, in seeking to address the causes of criminal behavior, tries to stop the “revolving door” cycle that may lead to an individual doing “life in prison, 30 days at a time.” But rehabilitation is not an easy way out: rigorous compliance monitoring protocols help ensure that offenders complete the sentence that they have received.

The problem-solving justice of community courts shifts the focus of criminal justice from how quickly defendants can be processed through the system to breaking the cycle of crime by addressing the offender’s underlying problems. Because many of a community’s most troubled members evenutally pass through its courts, it makes sense for the courts to maintain close ties to the community. The RHCJC, for example, engages neighborhood residents on the theory that when they feel involved and connected—rather than alienated—they are more likely to obey laws. If justice is perceived as being part of the neighborhood, then the reality of safety and security are more likely to be achieved. Believing that citizens are customers to whom the justice system must be accountable, community courts also aim to improve public confidence in the justice system, building much-needed trust and transforming the court system into a means of intervention, improving the quality of life in the neighborhood.

Courts such as the RHCJC aim to stop the cycle of low-level crime by helping defendants with on-site social services and administering sentences that are proportional to the crime and that benefit the community. The RHCJC processes 80 percent of the cases filed within its jurisdiction—almost all cases except major felonies and civil trials. Each year, about 5,000 people are arraigned (the first appearance following arrest) in its court. An additional 10,000-plus court appearances also occur, averaging to about 80 court appearances a day.

The RHCJC is multi-jurisdictional, meaning that the Justice Center's one judge hears neighborhood cases that ordinarily would go to three different courts—civil, family and criminal. But the RHCJC is not just a municipal court. It also has a set of community outreach programs, such as a neighborhood “safety corps,” youth courts, job training, drug treatment and mental health counseling. The Center offers free services including domestic violence counseling and support groups, family services, free legal referrals, adult education and GED classes and mentoring and internships. Treatment is rigorously monitored to ensure accountability, and the cases go beyond the courtroom. The Justice Center's judge is also uncommonly involved in defendants’ lives, working closely with social service counselors to gain a further context on past issues.

This focus on rehabilitation has resulted in a reduction of recidivism, or return to prison. At Red Hook, 75 percent of defendants comply with sanctions, versus 50 percent at the traditional court in downtown Brooklyn. The re-arrest rate among drug offenders who had completed a court-monitored treatment plan was 29 percent lower over three years. In the past ten years, crimes in the Red Hook neighborhood have decreased exponentially.

The RHCJC is the product of a unique public-private partnership led by the New York State Unified Court System, the City of New York and the Center for Court Innovation—the New York State Unified Court System's independent research and development arm. Planning was underwritten by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance and Drug Courts Program Office. Other supporters include the Kings County District Attorney's Office, the National Institute of Justice and the New York City Housing Authority.

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