“Applying the Problem-Solving Model Outside of Problem-Solving Courts”
By Francine Byrne, Donald Farole, Jr., Nora Puffett, and Michael Rempel
A brief article highlighting major findings and lessons concerning the potential to apply problem-solving practices in a more in-depth way throughout the courts. Longer versions of this research are available in other publications. Published in Judicature, Volume 89, No. 1 (2005).
download PDF version
A Comparison of Two Prosecution Policies in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence
By Robert Davis, Donald Farole, Jr., Chris O'Sullivan, and Michael Rempel
A study comparing recidivism rates, victim satisfaction, and costs of filing all domestic violence cases with the court vs. declining
to file cases when the victim opposes prosecution. Published in Criminology and Public Policy, Volume 7, Issue 4 (November 2008),
and available from Wiley InterScience online
here .
The same journal issue also includes an editorial
introduction and two commentaries on the study, written by other experts in the field. The complete research report
on the same study is available for immediate download
here .
A Comparison of Two Prosecution Policies in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence: Mandatory Case Filing vs. Following the Victim’s Lead (COMPLETE DOCUMENT)
By Robert Davis, Donald Farole, Jr., Chris O'Sullivan, and Michael Rempel
Whether prosecution should proceed in domestic violence cases without the support of the victim is an important question with valid theoretical arguments on each side but a dearth of empirical data. This study compared case outcomes, victim satisfaction, and costs in a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office typically declines to file cases when the victim opposes prosecution (the Bronx) with a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office has a universal filing policy (Brooklyn).
download complete document
A Comparison of Two Prosecution Policies in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence: Mandatory Case Filing vs. Following the Victim’s Lead (EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ONLY)
By Robert Davis, Donald Farole, Jr., Chris O'Sullivan, and Michael Rempel
Whether prosecution should proceed in domestic violence cases without the support of the victim is an important question with valid theoretical arguments on each side but a dearth of empirical data. This study compared case outcomes, victim satisfaction, and costs in a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office typically declines to file cases when the victim opposes prosecution (the Bronx) with a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office has a universal filing policy (Brooklyn).
download PDF
A Comprehensive Community Justice Model: An Evaluation of the Baltimore Community Justice Initiative
By Dana Kralstein
A report documenting the efforts of the Baltimore Community Justice Initiative, which attempted to incorporate a broad array of justice system and community-based organizations in an ambitious effort to spread principles and practices of community justice. Led by the University of Maryland School of Law, the initiative had three principal components: (1) a broad effort at cross-agency collaboration to promote community justice in two Baltimore neighborhoods, (2) a school conflict resolution program, and (3) a youth advocacy program.The evaluation discusses the assets of the initiative and the challenges it encountered while building a large, sustainable infrastructure and network within the City of Baltimore for current and future collaboration around community justice issues.
download PDF version
A National Compendium of Domestic Violence Courts -- NEW
By Staff of the Center for Court Innovation
This compendium serves as a companion document to A National Portrait of Domestic Violence Courts. The compendium provides contact information for 208 criminal domestic violence courts in the United States as of December 2009. These courts handle criminal domestic violence cases on a separate calendar or assign criminal domestic violence cases to one or more dedicated judges or judicial officers.
download PDF version
A National Portrait of Domestic Violence Courts -- NEW
By Sarah Bradley, Melissa Labriola, Samantha Moore, Chris O'Sullivan, and Michael Rempel
This study explores the goals, policies, and practices of criminal domestic violence courts nationwide. Based on in-depth visits to select sites and a national survey completed by 129 domestic violence courts, results point to strong national convergence around the fundamental goals of victim safety and offender accountability. However, the study identifies other goals about which there is less agreement (e.g., offender rehabilitation or case processing efficiency) and reveals wide variations in court policy and practice. The ultimate goal of the study is to lay the groundwork for future information exchange and cross-learning among these courts.
download PDF version
'A New Way of Doing Business': A Conversation about the Statewide Coordination of Problem-Solving Courts
By Robert V. Wolf
To guide governments as they think about how to coordinate problem-solving courts on a statewide basis, the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Center for Court Innovation brought together 18 policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in April 2008 for a roundtable on the topic. This paper summarizes their discussion.
download PDF version
A Pilot Program on Youth Engagement: Lessons from Youth ECHO
By Rachel Swaner and Elise White
A report documenting the program planning, curriculum, and evaluation findings from the first cohort of Youth ECHO (Expanding Community Horizons by Organizing), a youth organizing program in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The purpose of Youth ECHO is to engage teenage popular opinion leaders in designing a marketing campaign to change perceptions of youth crime among their peers. The authors conclude, among other findings, that participants were more committed to the program when they were given decision-making power on program content and structure and when they felt they were working at a job rather than participating in an after-school program.
download PDF version
A Problem-Solving Revolution: Making Change Happen in State Courts
By Staff of the Center for Court Innovation
In recent years, a number of states have worked to transform how courts respond to difficult cases where social, human and legal problems intersect. Building on the success of pioneering drug courts, community courts, mental health courts and domestic violence courts, state court systems are increasingly seeking to make problem-solving innovation a permanent feature of the judicial branch. Recognizing this, the Center for Court Innovation has made a significant intellectual investment in understanding the practical, political and conceptual challenges of “going to scale” with problem-solving innovation. In this collection of essays Center staff have sought to identify and address some of the most challenging questions faced by states as they seek to reform their court systems.
Click here to order the book for $9.95 (including shipping and handling), from amazon.com.
Annual Report: 2007
Highlights of the Center for Court Innovation's accomplishments in 2007.
download PDF version
Annual Report: 2008
Highlights of the Center for Court Innovation's accomplishments in 2008.
download PDF version
Annual Report: 2009 -- NEW
Highlights of the Center for Court Innovation's accomplishments in 2009.
download PDF version
Avoiding Failures of Implementation: Lessons from Process Evaluations
By Amanda Cissner and Donald Farole, Jr.
Part of a multi-faceted inquiry into failure undertaken by the Center for Court Innovation and the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, this paper examines failures that occur during the implementation of a new initiative, seeking to identify common sources of failure and to develop a basic list of considerations that may help practitioners avoid future pitfalls.
download PDF version
Batterer Programs and Beyond
By Michael Rempel
An article that both critically examines the research literature related to each of two goals that are commonly ascribed to court-ordered batterer programs: rehabilitation and offender accountability. The article also considers the prospects for several new directions in sentencing, including judicial monitoring, community service, and heavy fines. The article concludes by recommending that, whether or not courts continue to rely on offender programs, they also seek to incorporate more comprehensive and systematic approaches to offender monitoring and sanctioning for noncompliance. Published in Violence against Women in Families and Relationships: Volume Three: Criminal Justice and the Law, eds. Evan Stark and Eve S. Buzawa, Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2009. Available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Violence-against-Women-Families-Relationships/dp/0275998525
Blueprint for Change Executive Summary
By Liberty Aldrich, Greg Berman, and Shirley A. Dobbin
The Blueprint for Change outlines a step by step process to build on the reforms underway in New York City Family Court by institutionalizing the problem-solving approach.
download PDF version
"Breaking the Boundaries"
By Greg Berman
A description of the development of the Red Hook Community Justice Center, a multi-jurisdictional community court in Brooklyn, N.Y. Published in New Statesman, Vol. 17, Issue 794 (Feb. 16, 2004)
Breaking with Tradition: Introducing Problem Solving in Conventional Courts
By Robert V. Wolf
An overview of why problem solving strategies are desirable and techniques practitioners can deploy to introduce these strategies in conventional courtrooms. Published in the International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, Vol. 22, Nos. 1-2.
download PDF version
International Review of Law, Computers & Technology
Bridging Theory and Practice: A Roundtable about Court Responses to Domestic Violence
By Carolyn Turgeon
An edited transcript of a daylong conversation among 20 national experts as they explored options for improving criminal court responses to domestic violence, with particular focus on batterer program mandates, judicial monitoring, probation supervision, and victim advocacy.
download PDF version
Bringing Domestic Violence Best Practices to New York's Town and Village Courts
By Amanda Cissner
Based on findings from a recent training series, this descriptive study documents the current domestic violence policies and practices of town and village justice courts located in one rural county of upstate, New York. The report highlights the challenges faced by many rural jurisdictions in implementing domestic violence best practices and measures the effectiveness of a traditional training for small jurisdictions.
download PDF version
Building Trust and Managing Risk: A Look at a Felony Mental Health Court
A detailed look at a one of the first felony mental health courts in the country, this article describes why the court's planning team chose to focus on felonies rather than misdemeanors and how the court and its partners manage potential public safety risks.
download PDF version
Child Support Protocol: A Guide for Integrated Domestic Violence Courts
By Liberty Aldrich and Judy Reichler
A paper outlining best practice recommendations for courts hearing domestic violence cases, emphasizing that judges should consider financial support and other issues with victim safety in mind.
download PDF version
Children and Trauma:An Evaluation of the Bronx Child and Adolescent Witness Support Program
By Mia Green
An exploratory study testing the effects of court-based assessment and intervention services for child witnesses to violent crime. Findings are based on structured pre- and post-treatment assessments with participants ages 11 to 15 and with the caretakers of participants ages 3 to 10. Although based on a small sample of cases, the results point to a reduction in trauma symptoms from baseline to follow-up.
download PDF version
Children Come First: A Process Evaluation of the Nassau County Model Custody Part
By Samantha Moore and Michelle Zeitler
This report presents a process evaluation of the Children Come First (CCF) Program, a problem-solving matrimonial court designed to provide a more effective and child-centered response to high conflict divorce cases involving custody issues. The study documents the program's planning, implementation, structure, and lessons learned and includes a multi-method analysis incorporating observation, interviews, and an examination of case processing data.
download PDF version
Children's Exposure to Intimate Partner Sexual Assault
By Kathryn Ford
An introduction to the important and neglected issue of children's exposure to intimate partner sexual assault involving their parents. Includes legal history, case examples, recommendations for how to work with adult victims and exposed children, and questions for future research. Published in Family & Intimate Partner Violence Quarterly, 1(2), Fall 2008.
download PDF version
"COMMENT: Redefining Criminal Courts: Problem-Solving and the Meaning of Justice"
By Greg Berman
A comment on James Nolan, "Redefining Criminal Courts: Problem-Solving and the Meaning of Justice." This essay rebuts Nolan’s contention that problem-solving courts have become so blinded by the seductive rhetoric of "therapeutic jurisprudence" that they have lost sight of fundamental legal principles like due process and proportionality.
Published in American Criminal Law Review, Vol. 41, No. 3 (Summer 2004)
Community Courts Across the Globe: A Survey of Goals, Performance Measures and Operations
By Diana Karafin
There are currently more than 50 community courts open in the U.S. and internationally. By the end of 2008, that number is expected to grow to as many as 79. Given this context of a burgeoning international community court movement, coupled with pressing questions about how to adapt the model to diverse settings, the Open Society Foundation for South Africa commissioned the Center for Court Innovation to conduct a systematic survey of community courts around the world (other than South Africa).
link provided by the Open Society Foundation's web site
Community Justice Around the Globe: An International Overview
By Robert V. Wolf
A survey of community court and community prosecution programs around the world. Published in Crime & Justice International, July/August 2006, Vol. 22, No. 93.
download PDF version
Community Justice Centres: A US-UK Exchange
By Greg Berman, Jon Harvey, Adam Mansky, and Greg Parston
A discussion of the similarities and differences between the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the North Liverpool Community Justice Center in England. The article also includes a summary of a discussion among academics, policymakers and criminal justice practitioners from the US and UK about community justice.
download PDF version
Reprinted with permission of the British Journal of Community Justice
Community Justice: An International Overview
By Robert V. Wolf
A redacted and updated version of the article "Community Justice Around the Globe," which originally appeared in Crime & Justice International. Published in Judicature, Vol. 91, No. 6, May-June 2008.
download PDF version
Court Responses to Batterer Program Noncompliance: A National Perspective
By Rachel Finkelstein, Phyllis Frank, Melissa Labriola, Jim McDowell, Chris O'Sullivan, and Michael Rempel
A study conducted in collaboration with VCS Inc. that examines how criminal courts respond when domestic violence offenders are noncompliant with a court mandate to a batterer program. The study, based on a national survey of courts, batterer programs, and victim assistance agencies in all 50 states, detected overwhelming support for the goal of "accountability" in theory but a gap between theory and practice, as most courts indicated that they do not always or often impose sanctions when offenders are noncompliant with the batterer program mandate.
download PDF version
Criminal Domestic Violence Case Processing: A case study of the five boroughs of New York City
By Chandra Gavin and Nora Puffett
A cross-borough comparison of prosecution and court processing practices for misdemeanor domestic violence cases. The study explores the views of different stakeholders--judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors and victim advocates--regarding the rationale and impact of criminal justice policies, with most expressing support for a specialized domestic violence court model but concern for issues of victim safety and recidivism.
download PDF version
Data, Delinquency and Drug Treatment: How Technology Can Aid a Juvenile Drug Court
By Dory Hack
A discussion of the web-based case management system designed for the Harlem Community Justice Center's Juvenile Intervention Court. A tool for court planners, this white paper addresses the information challenges unique to a juvenile drug court.
download PDF version
Dispensing Justice Locally (PART II): The Impacts, Costs and Benefits of the Midtown Community Court
By David Rottman, Michele Sviridoff, and Robert Weidner
The executive summary of Part II of the original evaluation of the country's first community court--the Midtown Community Court. This evaluation was published in two phases. The first phase includes a comprehensive description of the Court and an analysis on the degree to which the Court met each of its goals. The second phase focused on impacts on recidivism rates for select sub-groups of defendants; examined impacts on jail costs after accounting for "secondary jail sentences"; explored other cost and benefit implications of the Court; and surveyed the opinions of community residents.
download PDF version
Dispensing Justice Locally: The Implementation and Effects of the Midtown Community Court
By Richard Curtis, Brian Ostrom, David Rottman, and Michele Sviridoff
This is the book form of Dispensing Justice Locally (PART 1): The Implementation and Effects of the Midtown Community Court. Published by Harwood Academic Publishers, Amsterdam, 2000.
Order from amazon.com
Do Batterer Program Length or Approach Affect Completion or Re-Arrest Rates?
By Amanda Cissner and Nora Puffett
The research examines the use of two batterer programs with disparate program philosophies by the Brooklyn Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Court, comparing outcomes among mandated defendants. The results suggest that neither underlying program philosophy nor program length alone predict either program completion or future violence.
download PDF version
Documenting Results: Research on Problem-Solving Justice
By Staff of the Center for Court Innovation
This collection of research reports, written by Center for Court Innovation staff, analyzes the impact of a broad range of problem-solving initiatives launched in New York State and nationwide over the past decade. Among the findings: judicially monitored drug treatment succeeds in reducing recidivism among addicted offenders; more than 85 percent of offenders at an experimental community court thought their cases were handled fairly-a significant improvement compared to conventional courts; by linking mentally ill offenders to community-based treatment instead of incarceration, courts can help improve offenders functioning and reduce the likelihood of re-arrest. The book also includes overviews of the national research literature on drug courts and community courts; an evaluation of a new approach to teen dating violence; and an investigation of how problem-solving principles might be integrated more broadly throughout state court systems.
Click here to order the book for $9.95 (including shipping and handling), from amazon.com.
Does Judicial Monitoring Deter Domestic Violence Recidivism? Results of a Quasi-Experimental Comparison in the Bronx
By Robert Davis, Melissa Labriola, and Michael Rempel
A study of the impact of intensive judicial monitoring with convicted domestic violence offenders. Key findings are also presented in Chapter Six of Testing the Effectiveness of Batterer Programs and Judicial Monitoring Published in Violence Against Women, Volume 14, Number 2 (February 2008).
available from Sage Journals online
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel: Lessons from Problem-Solving Courts
By Robert V. Wolf
A review of nine practical strategies to break down the conceptual and in some cases practical barriers that separate specialized courts from each other and the world of problem-solving from traditional courts.
download PDF version
Drugs, Courts and Neighborhoods: Community Reintegration and the Brooklyn Treatment Court
By David Anderson and Greg Berman
A description of the lessons learned by the Brooklyn Treatment Court about re-integrating recovered addicts into the community.
download PDF version
Embracing Failure: Lessons for Court Managers
By Greg Berman and Aubrey Fox
Excerpts of interviews with leading policymakers and practitioners about the role failure plays in criminal justice innovation. Published in The Court Manager, Vol. 23, No. 4, 2008.
download PDF version
Emergency Planning and the Judiciary: Lessons from September 11
By Thomas Birkland
An overview of the New York State court system's actions immediately after the terrorist attacks, including policy changes and lessons learned, and how its emergency planning activities relate to the elements of "best practices" in emergency planning and management.
download PDF version
Evaluating the Mentors in Violence Prevention Program
By Amanda Cissner
This combined process and impact evaluation supports the effectiveness of a gender violence prevention program adapted for college students, known as Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP). In an earlier evaluation, the program was found to produce significant positive changes in attitudes and predicted behaviors among high school age youth. This study, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, examines the replication of the MVP program with college fraternity and sorority members at Syracuse University.
download PDF version
Evaluation of the Suffolk County Juvenile Treatment Court: Process and Impact Findings
By Dana Kralstein
A comprehensive evaluation of the Suffolk County (New York) Juvenile Treatment Court, including the results of systematic courtroom observations, participant focus groups, and an impact study testing effects on recidivism. The results showed above-average retention and graduation rates, but little impact on recidivism. The report also provides a thorough account of Suffolk's juvenile model, how it differs from adult drug courts, and what the previous literature (including 19 earlier studies) finds regarding the effectiveness of the juvenile model.
download PDF version
Examining Defendant Perceptions of Fairness in the Courtroom
By Somjen Frazer
A brief article highlighting the major findings and implications of the Center's comparison of defendant perceptions of fairness at the Red Hook Community Justice Center and a nearby "downtown" criminal court. Published in Judicature, Volume 91, Number 1 (July-August 2007).
download PDF version
Expanding the Community Court Model: Testing Community Court Principles in the Bronx Centralized Courthouse
By Shani Katz
A report examining the impact of Bronx Community Solutions on sentencing in its first year of operation. The program model involves applying community court principles and practices to misdemeanor cases in a large, centralized courthouse (the Bronx Criminal Court). Results indicate that after implementation, the Court made significantly greater use of alternative sanctions, including community service and short-term social services, while making less use of jail sentences and, on the other end of the spectrum, less use of sentences such as fines or time served that lack any ongoing obligation.
download PDF version
Expanding the Use of Problem Solving: The U.S. Department of Justice’s Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative
By Robert V. Wolf
An in-depth look at the 10 projects awarded grants under the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative. All the grantees are trying something new: expanding problem solving to include new populations, new geographic territory, or new agencies within the criminal justice system.
download PDF version
Fact Sheet—Developing a Community Service Protocol
download PDF version
Fact Sheet—Evaluating Your Program
download PDF version
Fact Sheet—Finding the Resources to Help Your Program Thrive
download PDF version
Fact Sheet—Mapping Community Resources
download PDF version
Fact Sheet—Planning Checklist
download PDF version
Fact Sheet—Problem-Solving Justice in the United States: Common Principles
download PDF version
Fact Sheet—Publicizing Your Program and Its Successes
download PDF version
Fact Sheet—Using Data to Build Your Program
download PDF version
Fact Sheet—Using Diversion as Part of a Problem-Solving Strategy
download PDF version
First-year Law Students in the Courtroom
By Michelle Zeitler
This report presents a three-year evaluation of the Touro Law Center's Court Observation Program, which requires first-year law students to study and witness courtroom practice in both state and federal courthouses in Suffolk County, New York, with the goal of facilitating early practical exposure to the court system. Overall, court stakeholders, faculty, and students alike expressed high levels of satisfaction with the program. Students' descriptions of their career goals changed after program participation (expressing a greater desire to practice in a courtroom), and their ratings of the importance of pro bono work and overall confidence in the courts increased.
download PDF version
Good Courts: The Case for Problem-Solving Justice
By Greg Berman and John Feinblatt
Good Courts is the first book to describe the problem-solving court movement and features in-depth looks at Center for Court Innovation projects like the Midtown Community Court and Red Hook Community Justice Center, as well as other projects around the country, like Oregon’s Portland Community Court. By the Center for Court Innovation's founding director John Feinblatt and current director Greg Berman, Good Courts reviews the growing body of evidence that the problem-solving approach to justice is indeed producing positive results.
Click here to order Good Courts from Amazon.com
How Do We Pay for That? Sustaining Community Prosecution on a Tight Budget
By Robert V. Wolf
A detailed look at strategies prosecutors have used to fund community prosecution programs. The paper includes a comprehensive list of internet resources.
download PDF version
Improving Outcomes Through Better Data Tracking
By Christine Sisario
An article that describes how New York is adapting technology from problem-solving courts statewide.
download PDF version
Increasing the Voice of Youth: Strategies for New York City Teens Influencing Public Policy
By Shane Correia and Rachel Swaner
A study to determine the most effective ways for New York City teenagers to influence public policy, revealing "how to" advocacy strategies as well as factors related to the structure of youth civic engagement programs. The findings can be used to enhance the credibility of youth with policymakers and to help increase their voice in policymaking.
download PDF version
Introduction to Problem Solving: Key Issues and Challenges
This curriculum is based on the agendas and participant handbooks created for two workshops held for grante sites under the Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice. Intended to provide practitioners with the tools to initiate their own problem-solving initiative, it includes a number of resources that can be adapted for a variety of purposes. It is intended to assist court managers, judicial trainers, and other in putting on trainings at the local level, creating agendas and participant handbooks based on these materials. The hope is that it will help jurisdictions train their local system players in planning and implementing a community-based problem-solving criminal justice initiative.
dowbload PDF version
Journal of Court Innovation - Second Issue
The Fall 2008 issue focuses on efforts to improve the
jury system with articles on the comprehensibility of new jury instructions, how the internet has affected the jury trial and more.
download PDF version
Justice in Red Hook
By Greg Berman and Aubrey Fox
An overview of the Red Hook Community Justice Center and the lessons learned from the Justice Center's efforts at neighborhood engagement.
Published in The Justice System Journal, Volume 26, No. 1 (2005)
download PDF version
Learning from Failure: A Roundtable on Criminal Justice Innovation
By Greg Berman
In January 2007, the Center for Court Innovation and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance convened a day-long roundtable in New York that brought together judges, court administrators, probation officials, prosecutors, police chiefs and defense attorneys from across the country to discuss lessons they have learned from projects that did not succeed. The goal was to take a deeper look at failed reform efforts and extract concrete lessons that might aid the next generation of innovators, as well as those who authorize and fund innovation.
download PDF version
Lessons from the Battle over D.A.R.E.: The Complicated Relationship between Research and Practice
By Greg Berman and Aubrey Fox
An examination of the controversy over D.A.R.E., one of the most well-known and widespread crime prevention programs in the country, which has thrived despite research showing less-than-inspiring results. To its critics, D.A.R.E. is a cautionary tale of how criminal justice programs can live on despite evidence of failure. To its defenders, D.A.R.E. is a case study of resilience in the face of adversity. This paper unpacks the complicated relationship between research and practice, drawing lessons for future programming.
download PDF version
Neighborhood Knowledge: Community Prosecution in Washington D.C.
By Robert V. Wolf
A comprehensive description of the origins of the community prosecution program in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. The paper also highlights problem-solving strategies deployed by the office in the initial years of the program.
download PDF version
Op Data, 2001: Red Hook, Brooklyn
By Kelli Moore
Results of an annual survey carried out by AmeriCorps volunteers and analyzed by researchers at the Center for Court Innovation. The 2001 survey, which is used as a planning tool by staff at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, focuses on residents’ perceptions of: neighborhood public safety and quality of life, existing community resources, and the criminal justice system.
download PDF version
Op Data, 2003: Crown Heights, Brooklyn
By Amanda Cissner and Amy Ellenbogen
Results of a baseline survey of the community served by the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center. The survey, which was administered by AmeriCorps members and analyzed by researchers at the Center for Court Innovation, provides a forum for community members to voice their concerns about issues of quality of life, safety, services, conflict, and diversity in their neighborhood.
download PDF version
Op Data, 2003: Long Island City, Queens
By Liz Bracco, Amanda Cissner, and Michael Freedman-Schnapp
A community survey, coordinated by staff of the Queens Plaza Community Cleanup and researchers at the Center for Court Innovation, that measures the opinions of community members on issues of quality of life, safety, and community services.
download PDF version
Principles of Problem-Solving Justice
By Robert V. Wolf
An examination of the six principles that animate problem-solving justice. The principles are based on the Center for Court Innovation’s experience developing problem-solving initiatives, an analysis of problem-solving projects from across the country, and feedback from leading practitioners.
download PDF version
Problem-Solving and the American Bench: A National Survey of Trial Court Judges
By Francine Byrne, Yueh-Wen Chang, Donald Farole, Jr., and Michael Rempel
A nationwide survey of more than 1,000 trial court judges concerning their attitudes and practices with respect to problem-solving. The results indicate broad support for problem-solving methods and offer encouraging news for those interested in integrating problem-solving court principles in conventional court settings. The results also identify important obstacles, including limited resources and a need for greater education and training of judges.
download PDF version
Problem-Solving and the American Bench: A National Survey of Trial Court Judges
By Donald Farole, Jr.
This journal article presents an abridged version of the Center for Court Innovation's nationwide survey of more than 1,000 randomly selected trial court judges concerning their attitudes and practices with respect to problem-solving. Published in Vol. 30, No. 1 (2009) of the Justice System Journal, which gave its permission to reprint the article here.
download PDF version
Problem-Solving Justice: A Law School Course
This 14-week law school course analyzes the benefits and challenges of problem-solving justice. In addition to looking at the history and constitutional issues surrounding this topic, the course includes visits to traditional and problem-solving courts, class debates, lectures from practitioners from the field, and three student papers.
download PDF version
"Problem-Solving Justice: Responding to Real Problems, Real People"
By Adam Mansky
An overview, written for a British audience, of problem-solving justice in America.
Criminal Justice Matters No. 57 (Autumn 2004)
download PDF version
Process Evaluation of the Bronx Juvenile Accountability Court
By Melissa Labriola
This report presents a process evaluation of the first five years of the Bronx Juvenile Accountability Court (JAC), including a description of the model, accomplishments, implementation challenges, stakeholder perceptions, and future directions.
download PDF version
Process Evaluation of the Brooklyn Youthful Offender Domestic Violence Court
By Amanda Cissner
An evaluation of the Brooklyn Youthful Offender Domestic Violence Court. Through a number of data sources including defendant and stakeholder interviews, the evaluation documents the planning and implementation process, describes court operations, and identifies key challenges and lessons during the first 15 months of court operations.
download PDF version
Process Evaluation of the Queens Misdemeanor Treatment Court
By Melissa Labriola
A comprehensive process evaluation of the Queens Misdemeanor Treatment Court, a drug court for "persistent" misdemeanor offenders in Queens County, New York. Eligible defendants are drug-addicted, face misdemeanor charges and have at least three prior nonviolent misdemeanor convictions. The process evaluation describes the program's major assets and challenges; and documents program policies, participant characteristics, and compliance outcomes.
download PDF version
Public Perceptions of Neighborhood Quality of Life and Safety in Five New York City Communities: Results from Operation Data, 2004-2005
By Amanda Cissner, Sarah Custer, and Rachel Finkelstein
Based on surveys conducted in 2004 and 2005, this report documents community feedback on quality of life, public safety, community resources, and criminal justice agencies in five New York City neighborhoods. Results are broken out by neighborhood and further analyzed based on respondent demographics.
download PDF version
Race, Bias and Problem-Solving Courts
By Robert V. Wolf
In order to ensure that problem-solving courts work as fairly and effectively as possible with all populations, research needs to be done into the issues of race and bias. This groundbreaking paper, published in the National Black Law Journal, is an attempt to guide researchers in the right direction by highlighting key concerns that are ripe for future exploration and analysis. Published in 21 Nat'l Black L.J. 1 (2009).
download PDF version
Responding to Human Trafficking: Lessons from an Experiment in the Bronx
By Liberty Aldrich and Robyn Mazur
With funding from the State Justice Institute, the Center for Court Innovation sought to test whether it was possible to create a court screening tool capable of efficiently identifying victims of trafficking and engaging them in needed services. This short report summarizes the implementation of this experiment and offers lessons for other jurisdictions interested in improving their response to trafficking.
download PDF version
Specialized Felony Domestic Violence Courts: Lessons on Implementation and Impact from the Kings County Experience
By Kelly Diffily, Kamala Mallik Kane, Lisa Newmark, and Michael Rempel
An evaluation documenting the implementation process and the impact of the Kings County Felony Domestic Violence Court on referrals to batterer intervention programs, provision of services to victims, case outcomes, recidivism, and other case processing measures.
Published by the Urban Institute Justice Policy Center (October 2001)
download PDF version
Step Up, Step Out: Recommendations to Improve Youth Participation in New York City's Permanency Planning Process
By Members of the Youth Justice Board
Written by the 16 teenage members of the 2006-2007 Youth Justice Board, this report proposes 14 specific recommendations to improve the court experiences and outcomes for adolescents in foster care. The Youth Justice Board, which consists of New York City high schools students 15 to 19 years old, spent several months researching New York's permanency planning process--interviewing over 40 child welfare and court professionals, conducting two focus groups of youth in care and observing Family Court proceedings in Kings County, Bronx County and New York County Family Courts.
download PDF version
"Straight Out of Red Hook: A Community Justice Centre Grows in Liverpool"
By Adam Mansky
The story of how the Red Hook Community Justice Center is serving as a model for a similar problem-solving experiment in Great Britain.
Published in Judicature, Vol. 87, No.5 (March-April 2004)
download PDF version
Strong Families, Safe Communities: Recommendations to Improve and Expand New York Citys Alternative to Detention Programs
By Members of the Youth Justice Board
Written by the teenage members of the 2008-2009 Youth Justice Board, this report proposes 10 specific recommendations to strengthen and expand juvenile Alternative to Detention (ATD) programs in New York City and help young people and families involved in the juvenile justice system. The Youth Justice Board, which consists of New York City young people 14 to 18 years old, spent several months researching the City's ATD programs—interviewing over 30 juvenile justice and court professionals, conducting focus groups of justice system-involved youth and observing Family Court proceedings and ATD program operations. During the 2009-2010 program year, the Youth Justice Board will work with system stakeholders to encourage the implementation of the ideas contained in this report.
download PDF version
Supervised Visitation: What Courts Should Know When Working with Supervised Visitation Programs
By Kathryn Ford and Samantha Moore
A guide to promoting greater safety of children and adults during supervised visitation.
download PDF version
"Team Red Hook" Addresses Wide Range of Community Needs
By Judge Alex Calabrese
A judge describes his experience presiding over the Red Hook Community Justice Center.
Published in the Bar Journal of the New York State Bar Association, June 2000.
download PDF version
Teens Educating about Community Health: Examining the Efficacy of an HIV/Substance Abuse Peer Education Program
By Rachel Swaner
This report summarizes findings from a six-year process and impact evaluation of a teen peer education program related to HIV and substance abuse. After an intensive 10-week training program run out of the Red Hook Community Justice Center, the teen participants ran educational workshops for their peers throughout Brooklyn. The evaluation finds that after the intervention, participants gained significantly greater knowledge than a matched comparison group of the risks associated with HIV and substance abuse. Participants also showed a lower propensity for sexual experimentation and unprotected sex and less stereotypical attitudes regarding sex, race, gender, and sexual preference than the comparison group; but the program did not appear to influence attitudes related to alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.
download PDF version
Testing the Effectiveness of Batterer Programs and Judicial Monitoring: Results from a Randomized Trial at the Bronx Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Court
By Robert Davis, Melissa Labriola, and Michael Rempel
A study testing whether batterer programs and judicial monitoring are effective at reducing recidivism among domestic violence offenders. The study compares the recidivism rates of convicted offenders who were randomly assigned either to attend or not to attend a batterer program; and includes a second analysis examining whether ongoing judicial monitoring by the court deters recidivism. Results are based on a combination of official re-arrest records and victim reports of re-abuse. The results indicate that neither of the interventions in question produce a reduction in recidivism.
download PDF version
Testing the Impact of the Midtown Community Court: Updating Outcomes a Decade Later
By Dana Kralstein, Justin Hakuta, and Vishtasp Soroushian
This study examines the impact of the Midtown Community Court, as compared with Manhattan's traditional centralized criminal court, on case processing and sentencing outcomes. The study finds that Midtown makes greater use of alternative sanctions, less use of jail, and less use of sentences such as time served that do not involve any ongoing obligations. However, the study also finds that practice has changed in the centralized court, which has itself become relatively more likely to use alternative sanctions than in the 1990s, when the original evaluation of the Midtown Community Court was conducted.
download PDF version
The Brooklyn Mental Health Court Evaluation: Planning, Implementation, Courtroom Dynamics, and Participant Outcomes
By Kelly O'Keefe
A comprehensive process and outcome evaluation of the Brooklyn Mental Health Court. The study documents the program's planning, implementation, and structure during the first two years of operations. The study also incorporates the results of participant interviews on perceived legal coercion and procedural justice; structured courtroom observations of the participant-judge interaction; and results on a wide range of participant outcomes (recidivism, drug use, hospitalizations, homelessness, and psychosocial functioning). Finally, the evaluation underlines general themes and challenges that are likely to confront other mental health courts nationwide.
download PDF version
The Challenges of Going to Scale: Lessons from Other Disciplines for Problem-Solving Courts
By Donald Farole, Jr.
A discussion of the lessons learned in going to scale with innovations in education and other fields, and what these lessons imply for state judiciaries as they seek to go to scale with problem-solving justice.
download PDF version
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in New York City: Executive Summary
By Richard Curtis, Meredith Dank, Kirk Dombrowski, Bilal Khan, Melissa Labriola, Amy Muslim, Michael Rempel, and Karen Terry
Few crimes are more abhorrent than the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), yet few are more challenging for communities to address. This Executive Summary highlights major findings from a two-volume study exploring the problem of CSEC and evaluating a coordinated effort to find solutions in New York City.
download PDF version
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in New York City: Volume One: The CSEC Population in New York City: Size, Characteristics, and Needs
By Richard Curtis, Meredith Dank, Kirk Dombrowski, Bilal Khan, and Karen Terry
A multi-method study to estimate the size, characteristics, needs, and geographic spread of New York City's CSEC population. Using Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS), a method that has previously been successful in recruiting hard-to-reach populations, the study involved interviews with 249 youth ages 18 years or younger who were participating in CSEC-related activities. Through application of RDS statistical techniques and official city arrest data, the research team estimates that there are currently 3,946 CSEC victims citywide.
download PDF version
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in New York City: Volume Two: Formative Evaluation: The New York City Demonstration
By Melissa Labriola, Amy Muslim, and Michael Rempel
An evaluation of New York City's ambitious initiative to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). The evaluation documents achievements, obstacles, and lessons learned for other jurisdictions in four key areas: (1) coordination among CSEC stakeholders citywide; (2) prosecution of exploiters, (3) programs for victims, and (4) prevention initiatives in group homes and schools.
download PDF version
The Drug Court Model and Chronic Misdemeanants: Impact Evaluation of the Queens Misdemeanor Treatment Court
By Melissa Labriola
An impact evaluation of the Queens Misdemeanor Treatment Court, a drug court targeting chronic misdemeanor offenders in Queens, New York. Overall, the evaluation finds that the Court significantly reduced the probability, prevalence, and timing of re-arrests over a three-year tracking period. Regarding sentencing outcomes on the initial case, participants in the drug court were significantly less likely to be sentenced to jail but, because those who failed the drug court received longer sentences, participants averaged more total days in jail than the comparison group.
download PDF version
The Drug Court Model and Persistent DWI: An Evaluation of the Erie and Niagara DWI/Drug Courts
By Amanda Cissner
An impact evaluation of two hybrid DWI/drug courts designed to address the issue of persistent driving while intoxicated (DWI). The results suggest that DWI court participants have slightly lower re-arrest rates than a matched comparison group; but the differences are small and non-significant. The evaluation reports other positive outcomes for court participants, including low rates of alcohol use during the period of program participation and high program completion rates.
download PDF version
The Effects of the Harlem Housing Court on Tenant Perceptions of Justice
By Rashida Abuwala and Donald Farole, Jr.
This study examines the perceptions of self-represented tenants in two New York City housing courts: an innovative community housing court at the Harlem Community Justice Center and the centralized Manhattan housing court. Based on structured interviews and court observation, we find that while tenants in both locations provided favorable evaluations of their court experience, Harlem tenants viewed the experience in more positive terms. We also find that tenants in Harlem had more positive perceptions of their housing court experience in large part because they were more likely to perceive the court process and outcome as fair.
download PDF version
The Impact of the Community Court Model on Defendant Perceptions of Fairness
By Somjen Frazer
This study examines defendant perceptions of fairness at the Red Hook Community Justice Center. The report documents the importance of clear communication in the courtroom and the critical role of the judge in determining defendant perceptions of fairness. In addition, this report suggests how both traditional and problem-solving courts can enhance defendants’ perception of fairness.
download PDF version
The Midtown Community Court Experiment
A look at the Midtown Community Court and its groundbreaking contributions to problem-solving justice. This 12 minute video is narrated by Charles Kuralt.
Click here to see the video
The New York State Adult Drug Court Evaluation: Policies, Participants and Impacts (COMPLETE DOCUMENT)
By Amanda Cissner, Robyn Cohen, Donald Farole, Jr., Dana Kralstein, Melissa Labriola, Michael Magnani, and Michael Rempel
One of the first multi-year evaluations in the country to demonstrate consistent and meaningful recidivism impacts across a large number of drug court sites. This study, conducted by staff from the New York State Unified Court System and the Center for Court Innovation, documents the policies, participant characteristics, and performance of participants in eleven of New York's oldest and largest drug courts. Among other analyses, the report evaluates the impact of six drug courts on recidivism and identifies the participant characteristics and programmatic features that increase the likelihood of successful drug court outcomes.
download complete document
The New York State Adult Drug Court Evaluation: Policies, Participants and Impacts (CONCLUSION ONLY)
By Amanda Cissner, Robyn Cohen, Donald Farole, Jr., Dana Kralstein, Melissa Labriola, Michael Magnani, and Michael Rempel
One of the first multi-year evaluations in the country to demonstrate consistent and meaningful recidivism impacts across a large number of drug court sites. This study, conducted by staff from the New York State Unified Court System and the Center for Court Innovation, documents the policies, participant characteristics, and performance of participants in eleven of New York's oldest and largest drug courts. (The complete document is also available for downloading).
download PDF
The New York State Adult Drug Court Evaluation: Policies, Participants and Impacts (EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ONLY)
By Amanda Cissner, Robyn Cohen, Donald Farole, Jr., Dana Kralstein, Melissa Labriola, Michael Magnani, and Michael Rempel
One of the first multi-year evaluations in the country to demonstrate consistent and meaningful recidivism impacts across a large number of drug court sites. This study, conducted by staff from the New York State Unified Court System and the Center for Court Innovation, documents the policies, participant characteristics, and performance of participants in eleven of New York's oldest and largest drug courts. (The complete document is also available for downloading).
download PDF
The Perceptions of Self-Represented Tenants in a Community-Based Housing Court
By Rashida Abuwala and Donald Farole, Jr.
An article presenting the major findings of the Center's comparison of tenant perceptions at the Harlem Community Justice Center and the centralized Manhattan housing court. The article focuses on those findings related specifically to court fairness, which found that Harlem's tenants had more positive perceptions than those processed in the centralized court. Published in Court Review, Volume 44, Issue 1/2 (2008).
download PDF version
The Prosecutor as Problem-Solver: An Overview of Community Prosection
By Anthony Thompson and Robert V. Wolf
A three-hour training that introduces participants to the principles and practices of community prosecution. The curriculum includes a teacher's guide and participant handbook.
download PDF version
The Staten Island Treatment Court Evaluation: Planning, Implementation, and Impacts
By Kelly O'Keefe and Michael Rempel
A comprehensive process and impact evaluation of the Staten Island Treatment Court, a drug court for addicted, nonviolent defendants in Staten Island, New York. The process evaluation describes the program's major assets and challenges; and documents program policies, participant characteristics, and compliance outcomes. The impact evaluation compares participant re-arrest rates to a matched sample composed of similar defendants arrested in the year before the drug court opened.
download PDF version
Trial and Error: Failure and Innovation in Criminal Justice Reform
By Greg Berman, Phillip Bowen, and Adam Mansky
This "red paper" is about the kinds of failures in which well intended efforts fall short of their objective. The product of semi-structured interviews with criminal justice experts, researchers and practitioners, as well as a review of the literature on failure, it seeks to provoke debate as to why some criminal justice reforms work and why some do not. By discussing failure openly, this paper seeks to help foster an environment of new thinking and the testing of new ideas.
download PDF version
Two Decades of Specialized Domestic Violence Courts: A Review of the Literature
By Samantha Moore
An overview of the research literature on specialized domestic violence courts, this paper provides a summary of the current state of the field, an analyses of domestic violence court characteristics and goals, and a review of major research findings concerning court impacts on case processing, stakeholder coordination, informed decision-making, offender accountability, recidivism, victim safety, and victim services.
download PDF version
Working Together: How a Neighborhood Justice Center in Harlem is Building Bridges and Improving Safety
By Carolyn Turgeon
A description of the Harlem Community Justice Center, a unique multi-jurisdictional community court that hears a mix of family and housing court cases. The center also offers an array of unconventional programs, including mediation, community service and reentry initiatives, that extend the justice center's reach well beyond the courtroom.
download PDF version
Youth Culture in Red Hook, Brooklyn: Using Ethnographic Research to Enhance Youth Program Planning
By Elise White
A study that explores the advantages of employing ethnographic research as a central strategy of youth program development. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 23 African American and Latino Brooklyn teenagers, this paper explores these young people’s social worlds, presents key findings, and describes how findings might productively be used in program design.
download PDF version
Youth Justice Board Toolkit
By Members of the Youth Justice Board
The Toolkit is modeled after the Youth Justice Board program, which is dedicated to bringing the voices of young people into policymaking. The Toolkit contains curriculum and other resources for schools, after-school programs, and not-for-profit organizations that are interested in engaging young people in local policy development.
download PDF version
