| Since planning and developing the country’s first community court in 1993, the Center for Court Innovation has offered hands-on assistance on dozens of projects all over the world, from San Francisco to Australia, Philadelphia to South Africa. For a description of some of these projects, see the Case Studies area below. Every year the Center responds to hundreds of requests for service and hosts nearly 600 visitors to its many demonstration projects in New York. In total, guests from over 50 countries have paid visits to the Midtown Community Court and the Red Hook Community Justice Center alone. |
The Center's services include:
- Site visits
- Hands-on assistance
- Trainings
- Research and writing
Site visits
The Center shares its experience with community courts by hosting site visits to the Midtown Community Court, the Red Hook Community Justice Center, and the Harlem Community Justice Center, demonstration projects that have tested problem-solving principles and achieved well-documented results. On a typical site visit, visitors will:
- see the courtroom in action and meet the judge;
- meet project staff, who will be available to answer questions;
- obtain sample documents;
- brainstorm new approaches to problems back home.
Hands-on assistance
The Center for Court Innovation provides intensive one-on-one assistance in the planning, implementation, and enhancement of community courts. Assistance is available in five main areas:
1. NEEDS ASSESSMENT
A needs assessment helps pinpoint pressing local problems, providing quantitative and qualitative data to sharpen planners' understanding of the issues at hand.
2. CONCEPT PAPER
Once the problems have been clearly defined, the Center can help planners create innovative solutions in the form of a detailed concept paper that spells out the scope and goals of a project.
3. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Armed with a clear, detailed idea about how to proceed, the Center can make it happen by helping clients identify funding sources, create a start-up budget, and devise new ways to engage the community and potential government partners.
4. EVALUATION
The Center can help planners evaluate the project, once it's up and running, by establishing performance measures and tracking the project's ability to meet its stated goals.
5. TROUBLESHOOTING
Finally, the Center can assist with troubleshooting, helping program managers analyze operations and make mid-course adjustments.
Trainings
Center for Court Innovation experts provide customized workshops, panels, and trainings on community courts. Speakers from the Center have participated in conferences across the U.S. and internationally. Research and writing
Center for Court Innovation researchers are available to conduct original research, including both impact and process evaluations, and to produce publications.
The Center has produced a number of publications on community courts; here to read the Center’s community court-related publications, or visit the Research page to learn more about the Center’s research team and its projects.
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REQUEST ASSISTANCE FORM
Please use this form for any of your expert assistance needs, whether you'd like to arrange a visit to one of our demonstration projects in New York, request hands-on assistance, schedule a training, engage our researchers, or just request more information in general. We look forward to hearing from you. |
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FEATURED PUBLICATION
Engaging the Community: A Guide for Community Justice Planners
By David Anderson and Greg Berman
Tips for community justice planners about how to build stronger connections between neighborhoods and the criminal justice system.
download PDF version | | |
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