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
Coming Home to Harlem: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Harlem Parole Reentry Court

by Lama Hassoun Ayoub and Tia Pooler

This study of the Harlem Parole Reentry Court compares participants in a neighborhood-based reentry program to similar parolees on traditional parole. Results indicate that the reentry court, which implemented a validated and reliable tool for assessing the risks and needs of individuals returning from prison, produced a 22% reduction in the reconviction rate and a 60% reduction in the felony reconviction rate over an 18-month follow-up period.

Reentry, Problem-Solving Justice, Treatment Courts, Procedural Justice, Risk Assessment, Community 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

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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

Coming Home to Harlem: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Harlem Parole Reentry Court

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

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.