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To receive print versions of publications, click on the box(es) below and then click "ORDER PRINT PUBLICATIONS" at the bottom of the page. You will be asked for your contact information, and will receive the publication(s) shortly. Get Latest Publications   “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 Decade of Change: The First 10 Years of the Center for Court Innovation   A white paper looking at the history and accomplishments of the Center for Court Innovation.   download PDF version       Action Research: Using Information to Improve Your Drug Court   By Michael Rempel   A practical guide for drug court administrators and staff reporting how they can use data productively to monitor their operations, measure key performance indicators, identify areas of success, and bring to light problem areas or ways to improve.   download PDF version       And the Survey Says...: Making Change Happen in State Courts   By Aubrey Fox   Results from a survey of 500 state criminal court judges about their attitudes towards common problems within criminal courts as well as a variety of new tools and strategies for addressing these problems.   download PDF version       "Applying Problem-Solving Principles in Mainstream Courts: Lessons for State Courts"   By Francine Byrne, Donald Farole, Jr., Nora Puffett, and Michael Rempel   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)   download PDF version       Collaborative Justice in Conventional Courts (Phase One): Opportunities and Barriers   By Francine Byrne, Donald Farole, Jr., Nora Puffett, and Michael Rempel   A study of the potential to apply specialized "problem-solving court" principles and practices more broadly throughout state court systems. Based on focus groups and interviews with 35 judges in California and New York, the study assesses which problem-solving court practices are transferable to general court calendars, the major barriers to transferability and how problem-solving methods may be more widely disseminated among judges and judicial leaders.   download PDF version       Collaborative Justice in Conventional Courts (Phase Two): Stakeholder Perspectives in California   By Donald Farole, Jr., Nora Puffett, and Michael Rempel   A second study of the potential to apply specialized "problem-solving court" principles and practices more broadly throughout state court systems. This study focused on the views of justice and treatment system stakeholders (prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation, treatment professionals, and representatives of statewide organizations) of whether problem-solving should be expanded beyond specialized courts; what concerns might they have about such an expansion; and, if problem-solving were to be expanded, what practical steps and operational changes would need to be implemented in and outside of the courthouse.   download PDF version       Community Court Research: A Literature Review   By Dana Kralstein   A review of the basic findings of the seven most notable community court evaluations conducted to date.   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       Dispensing Justice Locally (PART I): The Implementation and Effects of the Midtown Community Court   By Richard Curtis, Brian Ostrom, David Rottman, and Michele Sviridoff   The executive summary of Part I 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 (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.       "Drug Courts an Effective Treatment Alternative"   By Amanda Cissner, Dana Fox-Kralstein, and Michael Rempel   An overview of the findings of the groundbreaking study, "The New York State Adult Drug Court Evaluation: Policies, Participants and Impacts," one of the most comprehensive statewide evaluations of drug courts ever done. The study, conducted by the Center for Court Innovation and the New York State Office of Court Administration, found consistent and meaningful recidivism impacts across a large number of drug court sites. Published in Criminal Justice 19, No. 2, Summer 2004 © 2004 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association.   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       "Predictors of Engagement in Court-Mandated Treatment: Findings at the Brooklyn Treatment Court, 1996-2000"   By Christine DeStefano and Michael Rempel   A study of key criminal justice, demographic, drug use, and neighborhood-based characteristics associated with serious engagement in treatment at the Brooklyn Treatment Court. Published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, Voulume 4 (2002).       Predictors of Program Outcome and Recidivism at the Bronx Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Court   By Chandra Gavin and Nora Puffett   An analysis of mandate completion and criminal recidivism rates for defendants sentenced to a batterer intervention program and/or substance abuse treatment. The study found that defendants with more serious criminal histories were more likely to be mandated to substance abuse treatment, were more likely to be non-compliant with court mandates from the outset, and were more likely to be rearrested. Findings suggest that courts may be able to predict defendants' probability of success in programs and make sentencing decisions accordingly.   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       Recidivism 101: Evaluating the Impact of Your Drug Court   By Michael Rempel   A plain-language discussion written either for practitioners or for researchers new to the drug court field of the key methodological questions that must be addressed in any recidivism analysis. This paper was motivated by the reality that while producing reductions in recidivism is a universal drug court goal, court administrators and staff are routinely uncertain how to go about obtaining a valid recidivism analysis. The paper discusses: (1) which drug court participants to include in a recidivism analysis, (2) what is an appropriate "comparison group," (3) how to ensure that the final drug court participants and comparison samples are truly comparable, and (4) what is an appropriate definition of recidivism. Real examples from the evaluation literature are incorporated throughout to provide clear illustrations of how different methods have been applied.   download PDF version       Seeing Eye to Eye: Participant and Staff Perspectives on Drug Courts   By Amanda Cissner and Donald Farole, Jr.   The results of focus groups conducted among the participants and court staff in three New York State drug courts. The research was designed to provide feedback about drug court operations and to assist programs by examining the extent to which participants and staff hold comparable views about various aspects of the drug court experience. In other words, sought to answer the question: do drug court participants and court staff see eye to eye?   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       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       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 Harlem Parole Reentry Court Evaluation: Implementation and Preliminary Impact   By Donald Farole, Jr.   An evaluation of the Harlem Parole Reentry Court, a pilot demonstration project designed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a collaborative, community-based approach to managing offender reentry from prison. The evaluation documents the project implementation process; identifies critical implementation challenges; and reports the results of preliminary impacts on offender recidivism and re-incarceration rates.   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 New York State Adult Drug Court Evaluation: Policies, Participants and Impacts (COMPLETE DOCUMENT)   By Amanda Cissner, Robyn Cohen, Donald Farole, Jr., Dana Fox-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 Fox-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 Fox-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 State of Drug Court Research: Moving Beyond 'Do They Work?'   By Amanda Cissner and Michael Rempel   An overview of the drug court research literature written for practitioners and researchers alike. This review assesses what we know now concerning both whether drug courts work, including their effects on recidivism, drug use, and cost savings. It also discusses how and for whom they work, including which components of the model are most important and how those components should be implemented to maximize effectiveness.   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