Investing in Community Justice

When we created the nation’s first community court in 1993, we sought to build bridges between the public and a justice system that was perceived as remote and ineffective. Since then, the idea of community justice has evolved considerably. Today, there are dozens of community justice projects across the country attempting to test new responses to a wide variety of problems, including over-incarceration and racial disparities. One such program is our Brownsville Community Justice Center, which invests in local youth and improves the physical landscape in order to promote neighborhood safety and vitality. 

Recently, we hosted a roundtable of researchers, justice practitioners and related experts to discuss how to measure the impact of community justice. How can we move beyond looking at crime statistics when we want to measure the health of a community? What are the best ways to assess a community's positive, pro-social norms? These are just a few of the questions that we are seeking to answer.

The research roundtable grows out of our work with the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance to support the creation, enhancement, and evaluation of community courts across the country.

News and Updates

• Listen to the latest New Thinking podcast, What Do We Know About Community Service?
• The Center is seeking a new executive director
• Watch Transforming Lives: The Brooklyn Mental Health Court that celebrates the court's 1,000th graduate