South Dallas Community Court Judge Cheryl Williams  listens to a court participant.

Community service in Hartford.

Counseling in Seattle Community Court.

Regional Network of Mentor Community Courts

The Bureau of Justice Assistance, in conjunction with the Center for Court Innovation, has chosen community courts in Dallas, Hartford, and Seattle to serve as regional mentors for jurisdictions seeking to improve their handling of low-level criminal cases.

 “The mentor courts will serve as a peer network, supporting the Center for Court Innovation in advancing the community court model. By selecting high-quality programs in various parts of the U.S., we hope to make it easier for interested jurisdictions to make site visits and see a community court at work,” said Kim Norris, senior policy advisor for adjudication at the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Like the three dozen community courts currently in operation or planning around the U.S., the three mentor courts respond to quality-of-life crime by ordering offenders to pay back the community through visible restitution projects. Typical projects include removing graffiti, cleaning neighborhood parks, and helping maintain public spaces. At the same time, community courts link offenders to drug treatment, mental health services, job training, and other services to help them address the underlying issues that often fuel criminal behavior. Research has shown that the community court model can reduce crime, improve compliance with court orders, and enhance public confidence in justice. 

The mentor courts—which were chosen in a peer-reviewed competitive process—will host site visits, answer questions over the phone or internet from practitioners, and participate in conferences and workshops. The Center for Court Innovation, in addition to offering tours of its own demonstration projects in New York, will also work with the Bureau of Justice Assistance to encourage criminal justice reformers to visit the mentor courts and assist in the strengthening of mentor courts programs.

Practitioners interested in taking advantage of the mentor sites’ expertise are encouraged to contact the courts directly. The three mentor courts are:

Hartford Community Court
Recently marking its 10th anniversary, Hartford Community Court was the third community court to open in the U.S. and the first one specifically designed to apply community court principles to an entire city. To maintain strong community connections, the Hartford Court seeks to assign offenders to perform community service in the neighborhood where they committed their offense.  The court encourages residents and local groups to recommend service sites, maintains a community service hot line, and reports back to the community via a quarterly newsletter.  Court staff regularly participate in meetings with a broad range of groups, including school groups and local merchants’ associations. The court has developed a comprehensive array of social service partnerships.  In 2002, the Hartford Community Court’s jurisdiction expanded to four surrounding towns, thus making it the only community court in the nation that serves both urban and suburban communities. 
CONTACT INFO:
Chris Pleasanton
Chris.Pleasanton@JUD.CT.GOV
860-756-7015

South Dallas Community Court
The South Dallas Community Court serves a high-poverty neighborhood and is housed in a neighborhood community center.  Partnering with a vibrant community center allowed Dallas to start a community court on a modest budget.  It originally held court one day a week. Since opening its doors in 2004, the South Dallas Community Court has created a number of creative partnerships, including a new reentry docket to tackle the challenges faced by individuals returning to the community from jail, a community service program for truant youth, and collaborations with law enforcement agencies, faith-based organizations and social service and health care providers to work with prostitutes and combat active drug markets. In 2008, the community court model was expanded into West Dallas.
CONTACT INFO:
Dianne Gibson
dianne.gibson@dallascityhall.com
214-670-7129

Seattle Community Court
Launched in 2005, the Seattle Community Court has done a model job of implementing core community court principles while tackling a very difficult population – defendants who are chronically homeless, suffer from multiple addictions and often have a co-occurring mental illness. The project has developed solid data collection systems, created a community advisory board, and established partnerships with providers and community service partners.  Of particular note is its use of an AmeriCorps team to conduct community outreach (including the production of a detailed quarterly electronic newsletter and web-based community satisfaction surveys) and monitor community service activities.  Selected by the Bureau of Justice Assistance as one of 10 sites nationwide to receive a grant under the Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative, the Seattle Court used the grant to expand its catchment area (originally the center of Seattle) to the entire city. 
CONTACT INFO:
Robert W. Hood
Robert.Hood@seattle.gov
206-684-7771