Problem-Solving Justice

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

Problem-solving courts, such as drug and mental health courts, work to engage the community in addressing the underlying conditions that fuel crime. Today, thousands of such courts are testing new approaches to difficult cases where social, human, and legal problems intersect. But along with these individual courts, problem-solving justice is also about taking the approach to scale.

Embedded in centralized courthouses, for example, our Bronx Community Solutions, Brooklyn Justice Initiatives, and Newark Community Solutions each handle thousands of cases per year, offering services and community-based alternatives to jail and fines. Through our work implementing these ambitious projects, we offer a range of customized training and technical assistance plans and publications for jurisdictions interested in applying problem-solving justice principles in centralized courthouses.

Initiatives

  • Bronx Community Solutions

    Bronx Community Solutions provides community-based alternatives to jail, restores community relationships, and helps participants avoid further criminal justice involvement.

  • Brooklyn Justice Initiatives

    Brooklyn Justice Initiatives seeks to improve how the centralized criminal court in Brooklyn responds to misdemeanor and felony cases.

  • Newark Community Solutions

    Newark Community Solutions applies a problem-solving approach to low-level cases in Newark, New Jersey’s municipal courthouse.

Publications & Digital Media

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News

  • Changemakers in Action: Saadiq Newton-Boyd

    Saadiq Newton-Boyd knows from his experience with Brooklyn Justice Initiatives that you have to genuinely see potential in the community and let its members lead the way on the solutions to enact positive change. 

  • The Reasons for Youth Gun Use

    July 7, 2021
    WNYC

    With shootings on the rise in cities across the U.S., our staff spoke with Brian Lehrer about the reasons young people carry guns, based on their report "Guns, Safety, and the Edge of Adulthood in New York City." Lehrer interviews Research Director, Rachel Swaner Deputy Research Director Elise White, and community-based Research Coordinator Basaime Spate, about the year-long study in NYC.

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