The Community Courts Initiative supports state, local, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments to establish and enhance community courts in their jurisdictions. Community courts are neighborhood-focused court programs that combine the power of the community and the justice system to address local problems. They connect persons to judicially supervised behavioral health treatment, alternative sanctions, and other community-based services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in collaboration with the Center for Justice Innovation, administers the initiative under BJA's larger Problem-Solving Justice Initiative.
The goal of this initiative is to help judges, prosecutors and defense counsel, law enforcement, and other innovators around the country reduce drug use, crime, and unnecessary incarceration through:
- Site-based training and technical assistance
- Peer-to-peer site visits to model community courts for practitioners across the country
- Network of Mentor Community Courts
- The Community Court Grant Program
- Community justice conferences
- Articles, multimedia products, webinars, and other resources on related topics
- Responses to practitioner inquiries
Assistance to Launch a New Community Court
BJA's Problem-Solving Justice Initiative offers no-cost assistance to courts interested in launching a community court. The Center for Justice Innovation, as the initiative's national training and technical assistance provider, will be offering hands-on planning and implementation support. See the Apply for Free Assistance Launching a New Community Court to learn more and submit an application.