Problem-Solving Justice

Problem-solving justice seeks to go beyond processing cases to solve the problems that bring people to court.

Problem-solving justice traces its roots to community and problem-oriented policing, which encouraged officers to identify patterns of crime, address the underlying conditions that fuel crime, and actively engage the community. Today, thousands of problem-solving courts are testing new approaches to difficult cases where social, human, and legal problems intersect. For example, community courts work with citizens to address local problems through individualized services and community restitution; drug and mental health courts seek to return those with substance use and mental disorders to society as productive citizens; and domestic violence courts emphasize accountability and victim safety.

Publications & Digital Media

Video
'They Treated Me Like a Person': Inside the Red Hook Community Justice Center

The Red Hook Community Justice Center has become an international model of justice reform by implementing innovative strategies that have reduced the use of jail, lowered recidivism and strengthened public confidence in justice.

Community Justice, Problem-Solving Justice
Publication
A Community Court Grows in Brooklyn: A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Red Hook Community Justice Center (Full Report)

by Cynthia G. Lee, Fred L. Cheesman II, David Rottman, Rachel Swaner, Suvi Hynynen Lambson, Michael Rempel, and Ric Curtis

With funding from the National Institute of Justice, the National Center for State Courts completed this independent evaluation of the Red Hook Community Justice Center in 2013.

Community Justice, Problem-Solving Justice
Video
Midtown Community Court Celebrates 25 Years in New York City

by Robert V. Wolf and William Harkins

Explore the 25-year history of Midtown Community Court as the nation’s first community court, its impact on the justice landscape, and its unique community partnerships, including an emphasis on using arts programming as an alternative to incarceration. Featured speakers include Presiding Judge Charlotte Davidson, the court’s founding director John Feinblatt, and U.S. Senator Cory Booker.

Community Justice, Problem-Solving Justice

See All Publications and Digital Media →

News

New York Empties Its Jails

February 1, 2018
Open Democracy

Featuring the alternative sentencing work of our Bronx Community Solutions, an investigation of the factors driving New York City's historic reductions in both incarceration and crime.
The People's Court

January 10, 2018
Urban Omnibus

A rich consideration by Urban Omnibus of the connections among justice design, courtroom procedures, and improving outcomes for defendants and their communities featuring our Red Hook Community Justice Center and Near Westside Peacemaking Center in Syracuse, N.Y.
Midtown Court Solves Problems Instead of Handing Out Sentences

June 28, 2017
Chelsea Now

Chelsea Now profiles the range of problem-solving justice work at our Midtown Community Court, now more than 20 years strong.

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Publications & Digital Media

'They Treated Me Like a Person': Inside the Red Hook Community Justice Center

A Community Court Grows in Brooklyn: A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Red Hook Community Justice Center (Full Report)

Midtown Community Court Celebrates 25 Years in New York City

News

New York Empties Its Jails

The People's Court

Midtown Court Solves Problems Instead of Handing Out Sentences

We work with reformers around the world.