Community Court Grant Program

Community Court Grant Program

The Community Court Grant Program seeks to support the creation, enhancement, and evaluation of community-focused courts across the country.

Spokane Library

The 'Spokane Model'

Read about the Downtown Community Court in Spokane, Wash., which convenes in the public library.

Launched as a partnership between the Center for Court Innovation and the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Community Court Grant Program funded 10 sites in 2016. More information about those sites is below, as well as the results of the 2018 Community Court Grant Program, expected in fall 2018.

2018 Community Court Grant Program

In April 2018, the Center announced a national solicitation to provide funding and technical assistance to up to five jurisdictions, mentor court status to up to five model community courts, and funding for an impact evaluation of an existing community court. The solicitation closed on May 30, 2018. Check back here for further details in fall 2018.

2016 Community Court Grant Program Sites

Map Community Court Program

Cleveland Community Court (Ohio)

The Cleveland Municipal Court is implementing a community court serving the entire city (pop: 390,000) plus the neighboring Village of Bratenahl. The project includes the use of a risk/needs assessment tool, as well as a process and impact evaluation.

In The News:

Eugene Community Court (Ore.)

    Eugene to NCS

    Staff and partners of the Eugene Community Court get an introduction to our Newark Community Solutions program. They also visited the Midtown Community Court and the Red Hook Community Justice Center.

    On our 'New Thinking' podcast, Eugene court administrator Cheryl Stone speaks with Matthew Watkins about the city's innovative community court model.

    The City of Eugene is implementing a community court to serve the city's downtown core, seeking to resolve misdemeanors and violations through community service and service mandates. The court's sessions are being heard in the downtown library, which is also providing a separate room for service providers.

    In The News:

    A brief video introduction to the Eugene court produced by the city of Eugene.

    Honolulu Community Outreach Court (Hawaii)

      Honolulu court

      Staff of Honolulu's court, including Judge Clarence Pacarro, third from left

      The City and County of Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, in partnership with the district court and the office of the public defender, is implementing a community court serving the entire city and county of Honolulu (pop: 375,000) – a community with the highest per capita rate of homelessness in the United States. The court seeks to resolve quality-of-life offenses with community service and linkages to social services.

      In The News:

      Jersey City Community Solutions (N.J.)

        Jersey city forum

        Planners of the Jersey City court field questions from the public at a community forum in August 2017.

        The City of Jersey City is implementing a community court calendar for its municipal court, in which 75% of cases heard are for quality-of-life offenses. The project serves the entire city (pop: 257,000).

        In The News:

        Las Vegas Township Community Court (Nev.)

        The Las Vegas Township Justice Court is implementing a community court to serve the Las Vegas Strip corridor. The project seeks to reduce crime and the recidivism rate within the 4.2 mile strip corridor. This area is filled with high rates of poverty, homelessness, medically and mentally fragile people, substance abusers and young people who engage in low-level crimes. The project seeks to redesign the arrest-to-arraignment process and resolve quality-of-life cases by including referrals to community and social services.

        In The News:

        Olympia Community Court (Wash.)

        The City of Olympia’s municipal court is implementing a community court hearing quality-of-life offenses committed in the downtown core. The court is expanding access to on-site services and increasing data collection and analysis.

        In The News:

        Philadelphia Accelerated Misdemeanor Program (Pa.)

        The Philadelphia Mental Health Care Corporation, in partnership with the municipal court, district attorney’s office, and Defender Association of Philadelphia, is enhancing the city’s five neighborhood-based “AMP” courts by improving participant access to mental health services and increasing training in evidence-based practices.

        Restorative Justice Community Court (Cook County, Ill.)

          North Lawndale circle meeting

          Restorative Justice Court staff and community partners debrief in a circle meeting following a day of hearings.

          The Circuit Court of Cook County is implementing a community court serving young adults (ages 18-26) in the North Lawndale neighborhood on Chicago's west side (pop: 40,000). In addition to service linkages, the court uses restorative justice conferences.

          In The News:

          Second Chance Community Improvement Court (Dallas County, Texas)

          The Dallas County Public Defender’s Office, in partnership with the district court and the district attorney’s office, is implementing a community court serving young adults (ages 17-25) arrested on misdemeanor and some felony charges. The court is co-located with the South Dallas Community Court and serves the same geographic catchment area.

          In The News:

          Spokane Community Court (Wash.)

            Spokane public defender

            Public defender Francis Adeawale, part of the Spokane court staff (photo credit: Dan Pelle/Spokesman-Review)

            Opened in 2013, the City of Spokane's Downtown Community Court serves the city's central business district, operating out of a public library in an effort to better reach the low-level repeat defendants who are an important part of the court's clientele by connecting them to services in a friendly setting. The model proved so successful that, in 2017, with support from the Community Court Grant Program, the Municipal Court opened Spokane's Northeast Community Court in an existing community center. The grant also supports the creation of a new position coordinating the work of the two courts and the use by both of a risk and needs assessment tool.

            In The News: