Eric Lee

In September 2005, the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice funded ten demonstration projects under its new Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative. The following edited excerpt was taken from South Carolina’s winning proposal. For its problem-solving initiative, the 4th Judicial Circuit of South Carolina proposes to implement a coordinated, comprehensive, system-wide problem-solving initiative in four counties. The initiative will target offenders ages 17-30 arrested for drug and drug-related charges. The goals of the initiative include (1) engaging the community in defining issues of concern to be addressed; (2) reducing recidivism among offenders entering pretrial diversion; and (3) strengthening the resources available to the judiciary for cases that require adjudication and supervision. The initiative will be piloted first in Chesterfield County, and then expanded to the other three counties: Darlington, Dillon, and Marlboro. Community forums will be convened to engage community residents and key stakeholders.  A part-time Assistant Solicitor will be hired to reduce the time from arrest to entry into the pretrial diversion or adjudication track. Screening, assessment, monitoring and supervision of offenders will be enhanced in both tracks. In the adjudication track, the intensity of monitoring and supervision, and whether participants are diverted to a community process or supervised by the judge through status hearings, will be dependent on the offender’s current charge, criminal background, treatment history, and current assessment. Sanctions and incentives will be used throughout the system to encourage progress and achieve compliance.  

In September 2005, the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice funded ten demonstration projects under its new Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative. The following edited excerpt was taken from Lynchburg’s winning proposal.     The Lynchburg Community-Based Problem Solving Criminal Justice Initiative is built upon the premise that structured interventions with defendants at the early stages of crime can prevent further escalation of violence in even the most distressed community. Lynchburg’s proposal promotes the merits of bringing social services and mediation into the folds of the criminal justice process and strives to integrate the community court model into a traditional general court system in a small city with limited resources. It seeks to utilize the resources already present in the community and the court system in a more effective and community orientated approach. To accomplish these goals requires inviting non-traditional criminal justice players—community members, social service and non-profit partners—to participate in the design and implementation of this initiative and asks them to work alongside members of law enforcement to repair the disconnect between traditional court sanctions and access to social services, creating community-driven sanctions for those who commit crime in the pilot project neighborhood. The purpose of the initiative is to restore safety to the city’s most high risk neighborhoods and empower residents to reclaim their communities. The project will focus on Lynchburg’s Greenfield neighborhood, and eventually cover the entire city. Aside from reducing recidivism and crime rates, the inclusion of the community in the criminal justice system process as problem solvers allows them to feel empowered and to view themselves as important stakeholders in the process.  

In September 2005, the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice funded ten demonstration projects under its new Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative. The following edited excerpt was taken from Atlanta’s winning proposal. In late 2000, the City of Atlanta’s Municipal Court created a community court, which has evolved into a comprehensive problem-solving court. Currently, the Court is operating two neighborhood Restorative Boards, both in inner-city neighborhoods where poverty rates are high. Under its problem-solving initiative, Atlanta proposes to expand and enhance its Restorative Board program into four additional Atlanta neighborhoods. The Restorative Boards have proven to be especially effective by bringing an offender back to a neighborhood for sanctioning and restoration and giving a meaningful voice to community members in the justice process. The boards seek to close the gap between the courts and community. Defendants, often young and first-time offenders, are identified by court staff as appropriate candidates for diversion to the boards. Staff recruit board members from the neighborhood where the board is established. After extensive training in the principles of restorative justice and the policies of the board, members are sworn into service by the judge of Community Court. When a defendant appears before the board, together they discuss the nature of the offense and its negative consequences for the victim, community and offender. An agreement is reached on a course of action that the defendant will take to “right the wrong” his/her actions have created. Activities are also identified for the offender to pursue in order to reduce the likelihood that he/she will offend again. Examples include GED completion, job search skills training, anger-management and conflict resolution classes, parenting classes, etc. Board members meet several times with offenders to monitor their progress and offer congratulations upon success.  

In September 2005, the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice funded ten demonstration projects under its new Community-Based Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative. The following edited excerpt was taken from the New York’s winning proposal. Bronx Community Solutions is the next phase in the development of problem-solving justice in New York, an ambitious experiment in going to scale with ideas and practices that have worked in pilot community courts in Midtown Manhattan, Harlem, and Red Hook, Brooklyn. Rather than concentrating resources in a single, specialized court, Bronx Community Solutions seeks to bring problem-solving resources to all of the players in Bronx Criminal Court, which handles 50,000 misdemeanor cases annually. The project aims to re-think business as usual in the local criminal justice system, marshalling the system’s resources towards improving the response to quality-of-life crime and increasing public trust in government. It combines punishment (community service) and help (drug treatment, job training, counseling) for eligible non-violent offenders. Components include: Sentencing Options. By creating social service classes and community service projects, the project seeks to provide judges with expanded sentencing options and reduce reliance on expensive and ineffective short-term incarceration. Accountability. By quickly assigning offenders to alternative sanctions and rigorously monitoring their performance, the project seeks to improve compliance and reduce the number of offenders who receive no sanction whatsoever—sending a message that all crime has consequences. Community Engagement. By engaging local residents and organizations in selecting community service projects and providing social services, the project seeks to revitalize the relationship between court and community. Bronx Community Solutions partners include the New York State Court System, the Bronx DA’s Office, the City of New York, the local defense bar and the Center for Court Innovation.To view a screening tool used to assess ofenders' social service needs click here.