One of the country’s first problem-solving courts, the Midtown Community Justice Center reduces crime and incarceration while strengthening public trust in the justice system.
One of the country’s first problem-solving courts, the Midtown Community Justice Center reduces crime and incarceration while strengthening public trust in the justice system.
For more than 30 years, the Midtown Community Justice Center has created compassionate, timely responses to low-level crimes that are restorative to both the individual and the broader Midtown community. In partnership with the New York Court System, the Justice Center offers meaningful pathways out of the justice system and family court through community service and on-site support for needs like mental health, housing, employment, and more. We also work to prevent contact with the legal system in the first place, providing people on the streets and in shelters with immediate life-saving resources and connections to longer-term services.
Community Justice Alternatives
The Midtown Community Justice Center responds to low-level offenses in ways that support a stronger future for both the individual involved and the community as a whole. Through local community service programming and on-site social services—like individual and group counseling, mental health care, career guidance, and more—we help address the underlying needs that bring people into the system while strengthening community well-being. With the Manhattan Misdemeanor Mental Health Court, we offer meaningful, constructive responses for people charged with low-level crimes dealing with complex mental health needs.
Project Reset
Project Reset is a pre-arraignment diversion program that promotes healing and strengthens trust in the justice system with unique alternatives to traditional court responses. Project Reset diverts people out of the justice system with a proportionate, restorative, and effective response to low-level arrests. This approach to low-level crime allows participants to avoid court and a criminal record by completing community-based programming while connecting them to support and resources.
Supporting Young People in Family Court
Our Youth PACT program gives young people ages 14 to 17 arrested for weapons possession a chance to avoid prosecution by participating in restorative programming that addresses the root causes of gun violence. Young people receive help from a mentor to develop social-emotional goals, strengthen their support system, and work on the challenges that led up to their arrest.
Trust-Building Street Outreach
Launched in 2021, Community First is a partnership between the Midtown Community Justice Center, Fountain House, the Times Square Alliance, and Breaking Ground that engages people dealing with housing insecurity and mental health challenges in the Times Square area to build trust, offer immediate resources like hygiene kits and overdose prevention supplies, and open a path towards longer-term support.
Engaging the Community
At the Justice Center, we invite the people who live, work, and go to school in our communities to get involved in identifying local problems and crafting solutions. Our participatory planning approach empowers local leaders, residents, participants, and stakeholders to become agents of change in their communities. Collaborators in this work include the Justice Center’s presiding judge and program staff, New York City Police Department precinct commanders and officers, defense bar and Manhattan District Attorney’s Office representatives, service providers, and representatives from business improvement districts and other community organizations.
Justice Center staff also attend a wide range of community meetings and events, and develop responsive community-based workshops. To address larger trends and challenges, the Justice Center convenes symposiums and roundtables with local elected officials, community leadership, and subject matter experts to craft solutions.
The Justice Center engages the community through a variety of programs outside our physical space, including arts-based workshops for young people, community activations with a local public housing development, resource fairs, and community meetings. We also host the Youth Advisory Board, amplifying the voices of youth aged 16 to 22 in justice spaces while providing essential skills, training, and mentorship opportunities.
Breaking the Cycle: Prioritizing Mental Health Needs in the Courtroom
Many people with mental health challenges wind up in the criminal legal system because they have virtually nowhere else to go. Take a look inside the special court program in Manhattan working to change that.
Looking Back, Looking Beyond. Join us to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Midtown Community Justice Center with a group of changemakers dedicated to advancing justice in the city.
