Overview:
Under the Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative, BJA has funded 10 demonstration criminal justice projects and one technical assistance provider. The technical assistance provider for the initiative will be the Center for Court Innovation (www.courtinnovation.org), which will assist the demonstration sites in implementing their problem-solving initiatives.
Since the early 1990's, problem-solving courts have evolved from a lone drug court in Miami-Dade County and a single community court in midtown Manhattan to thousands of initiatives. Research has demonstrated that, if implemented properly, the problem-solving approach can decrease recidivism, reduce crime, improve coordination among justice agencies, enhance services to victims, and increase trust in the justice system. Results like these have led to problem-solving justice being endorsed by national criminal justice mainstream organizations.
The Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative aims to broaden the scope of problem-solving courts, testing their approach to wider defendant populations and applying key problem-solving principles (e.g., links to social services, rigorous judicial monitoring, aggressive community outreach) outside of the problem-solving court context.
The 10 demonstration site grantees for the Community Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative are as follows:
Background:
This is the first time BJA has funded a Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative. BJA convened a focus group to discuss the Problem-Solving Court movement, and the advantages and feasibility of BJA supporting a Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative. The focus group included key representatives of the justice system, discussing the potential of developing a coordinated system-wide screening, assessment, and referral process that targets a population of offenders with diverse problems. The group discussed the advantages (e.g., reduced recidivism and system costs, improved client outcomes, improved coordination and collaboration with the justice system) and the feasibility of this new problem-solving model, identified several areas in which the courts and other justice system partners would need support and assistance to implement the model. Based on the feedback from the focus group, the director of BJA, Domingo Herraiz, supported the development and funding of the Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative.
Related Publications/Information:
"Bronx Community Solutions: A Video Introduction"
This documentary-style 8 minute video provides an overview of Bronx Community Solutions, an experimental project that brings the principles of problem-solving courts to every courtroom in a busy urban courthouse. By supervising low-level offenders in community restitution projects, linking offenders to on-site social services, and rigorously monitoring compliance, Bronx Community Solutions seeks to make punishments more meaningful and improve public confidence in justice. "Bronx Community Solutions: A Video Introduction" is available for free from the Center for Court Innovation, which operates Bronx Community Solutions with support from BJA's Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative. The video was produced and directed by award-winning film maker Meema Spadola. To order a free copy on DVD, visit the publications page on the Center's website.
"Applying Problem-Solving Principles in Mainstream Courts: Lessons for State Courts"
By Donald J. Farole, Jr., Nora K. Puffett, Michael Rempel, and Francine Byrne
A summary of focus groups of judges in New York and California examining which practices of problem-solving courts can be integrated into conventional court operations.
Published in The Justice System Journal, Volume 26, No. 1 (2005)
The Hardest Sell? Problem-Solving Justice and the Challenges of Statewide Implementation
By Greg Berman
An overview of the issues faced by states attempting to mainstream problem-solving innovation.
Engaging the Community: A Guide for Community Justice Planners
By Greg Berman and David C. Anderson
Tips for community justice planners about how to build stronger connections between neighborhoods and the criminal justice system.
Defining the Problem: Using Data to Plan a Community Justice Project
By Robert V. Wolf
A look at how community justice initiatives across the county have used concrete data to define local problems.
Beyond Big Cities: The Problem-Solving Innovations of Community Prosecutors in Smaller Jurisdictions
By Nicole Campbell and Robert Victor Wolf
Examines the challenges and rewards of community prosecution programs in less populated and rural communities.
Surveying Communities: A Resource for Community Justice Planners
By Leslie Paik
Outlines how criminal justice officials can use community surveys to gather data about neighborhood public safety problems.
Contact Information:
Kim Ball Norris, J.D.
Senior Policy Advisor, Adjudications
Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice
Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531
Tel: 202-307-2076
E-mail: Kim.Norris@usdoj.gov
Julius Lang
Director, National Technical Assistance
Center for Court Innovation
520 Eighth Avenue, 18th Floor
NY NY 10018
Tel: 212-373-8091
Fax: 212-397-0985
E-mail: langj@courtinnovation.org
Website: www.courtinnovation.org
