Community Courts

In this reporting period, Center staff saw the fruition of its newly engaged mentor court program, facilitating in-person site visits to the following mentor courts: Boulder, CO; Austin, TX; South Dallas, TX; Spokane, WA. Center TTA staff matched these four mentor courts with several current BJA grantees to work directly with them as sub-cohorts of grantees. These four mentor courts meet at least quarterly with their respective sub-cohort of grantees and, during this reporting period, hosted the grantees in-person on site visits facilitated by Center TTA staff.

The Center provides a wide range of support in response to requests for assistance, including sharing publications, research, planning guides, and other resources; and connects practitioners with peers at community courts around the country. This reporting period, the Center’s training and technical assistance team responded to at least three requests for assistance and assisted practitioners from a variety of locations. Center staff responded to a request for assistance from a Philadelphia practitioner hoping to begin a community court in the future.

Center staff attended the Washington State Association of Drug Court Professionals and Washington Association of Drug Courts Conference discussed how community courts work as problem solving courts and how practitioners can build issue focused programs that cater to specific community needs. I also gave practitioners some considerations on how to implement small changes to their current system.

The Center made contact with each of the new grantees throughout the months of December and January and formally welcomed them on January 9, 2025, at the TA Kickoff Call webinar. The initial webinar received positive feedback from grantees and gave them a refresher on community court practices. One-on-one meetings with each site commenced in January, and will continue through mid-February. The meetings serve as a formal starting point to address core challenges and carve out expectations.

The South Salt Lake Community Court is in the early stages of development, currently offering voluntary services while preparing for a formal launch. Drawing on insights from a site visit to Boulder, they are refining strategies for structuring charges, defining the role of an on-site clinician, and improving data collection and communication. The court has seen increased attendance from the homeless population, with participants spreading the word and encouraging others to join, fostering a sense of community.

The Upper Sioux Community Tribal Healing to Wellness Court has been working to enhance their multitrack program by addressing the overall needs of the community. In September, the Upper Sioux team attended the mentor court site visit at the Spokane Community Court Program and connected with justice partners to exchange ideas and foster collaboration.The Center’s Community Justice and Tribal Justice technical assistance teams connected with the site in November of 2024 to discuss challenges and provide additional mentorship and support.

The Skagit County Community Court Program has continued to enhance their Program and has created initiatives that foster personal growth and accountability for their participants. The site takes on a problem-solving approach to crime by holding participants accountable and addressing factors that impact the participant’s overall behavior to increase public safety. One initiative that stands out is the creation of a cell-phone program, which allows participants to rent cell phones to connect with family, friends, and the case management team.

In March, the Reno Municipal Community Court co-hosted a regional convening for community court practitioners which included guided tours of their spaces and programming. Since then, the court has made several significant updates to its operations to enhance its impact on the community. They hired two new case managers to support their growing caseload, which has increased substantially due to targeted enforcement actions by the Reno Police Department and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

The Meridian Community Court Initiative intends to focus on housing support, high school equivalency degrees, employment training, mental health support, and substance use treatment for the community. The team has experienced communication and engagement issues due to significant personnel shifts and firewalls in their municipal court email domain. In early July, they hired the East Mississippi Planning & Development District to be the new administrators of the grant with the hope that the new administrators will support them in reinvigorating the planning process.

The Las Vegas Justice Court’s Community Court Stabilization Program is enhancing their current operations with wraparound case management and housing for those who can effectively manage their mental health needs and substance use treatment plans with minimal interventions and support.