Community Justice

Community justice circle
We are committed to engaging communities and harnessing the power of the justice system to address local problems and improve public safety.

The Center for Justice Innovation created the first community court in 1993. Located a short walk from New York City’s Times Square, the Midtown Community Court works with people in the neighborhood to tailor creative responses to local concerns. Since then, we have worked to bring the idea of community justice to other New York City neighborhoods (Red Hook, Harlem, Brownsville, and others), and to jurisdictions around the world that are interested in reinvigorating public trust in justice, reducing the use of incarceration and forging new responses to minor offending. We have also helped launch the National Community Court Initiative, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance.

We have also worked to spread the idea of community justice beyond courts. For example, we have worked with prosecutors to encourage them to not only prosecute cases, but to solve public safety problems, prevent crime, and improve public trust in justice. Rather than simply tallying cases won and sentences imposed, prosecutors should measure the effect of their work on quality of life, community attitudes, and crime. To support such efforts, we work with local prosecutors and national experts such as the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and Fair and Just Prosecution.

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 Young Adult Court

    The Brooklyn Young Adult Court seeks to provide meaningful alternatives to conventional prosecution for young people, ages 18 to 24, charged with misdemeanors.

  • Harlem Community Justice Center

    The Harlem Community Justice Center is a neighborhood-based community court committed to bridging the gap between the court and community to achieve fairness and systematic equity in housing, commu

  • Mentor Community Courts

    These community courts enhance assistance provided by the Center for Justice Innovation by serving as regional resources for jurisdictions looking to implement similar community justice initiatives

  • Midtown Community Justice Center

    The award-winning Midtown Community Justice Center (formerly Midtown Community Court) is one of the country’s first problem-solving courts.

  • Newark Community Solutions

    Newark Community Solutions improves public safety in Newark, NJ, through alternative sentencing programs in the Newark Municipal Court, youth-based services, housing justice initiatives, and other

  • Red Hook Community Justice Center

    The nation's first multi-jurisdictional community court, the Red Hook Community Justice Center seeks to solve neighborhood problems in southwest Brooklyn.

Publications & Digital Media

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News

  • D.A. McMahon leads tour at future site of Staten Island Community Justice Center

    July 20, 2024
    Staten Island Advance

    Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon joined New York Chief Judge Rowan Wilson and other elected officials to lead a tour of what will become Staten Island’s first-ever community justice center. Housed in a former courthouse, the Staten Island Community Justice Center will build on the Center for Justice Innovation’s existing programming in Staten Island to provide critical resources and off-ramps from the criminal justice system for residents, thanks to a $5 million investment announced by Mayor Eric Adams and Council Member Kamillah Hanks. “Quite simply, the arrival of a Staten Island Community Justice Center would transform public safety and justice in our borough,” said District Attorney McMahon.

  • Staten Island justice center, with innovative approach to crime fighting, is step closer to reality

    July 18, 2024
    Staten Island Advance

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Council Member Kamillah Hanks, and Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon have announced a $5 million investment toward building the first Staten Island Community Justice Center. With a focus on youth and mental health programming, the Community Justice Center will bring much-needed resources to residents while working “upstream” to reduce involvement in the criminal justice system. The investment is a crucial step toward bringing what Mayor Adams calls a “proven model that has already succeeded in achieving lasting success under the leadership of our partners at the Center for Justice Innovation” to Staten Island.

  • Turning the Gears of Justice: A Conversation with Chidinma Ume and Erin Pilnyak

    March 12, 2024
    Vital City

    In Vital City’s special issue on New York City’s jails, Chidinma Ume, Senior Director of Community Justice at the Center, joins IntegrAssure’s Erin Pilnyak to share what it was like to be part of a citywide effort to reduce unnecessary case delays that leave people languishing in jail. Their conversation sheds light on how collaboration, data, and what Ume calls “a combination of patience and urgency” can help us safely reduce jail populations and ensure all people are treated with dignity as they navigate the legal system.

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We work with reformers around the world.

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