ABSTRACT
Over the last three decades, community courts have demonstrated success in reducing recidivism and improving community perceptions of the justice system. This chapter takes stock of community court practice in the United States, exploring how the courts’ underlying principles of problem-solving justice and community partnership can inform the current moment in corrections and sentencing reform. Our examination of the empirical literature on community courts, as well as emerging practices on the ground, highlights the potential for community justice principles to address issues as diverse as criminal justice debt, homelessness and substance use, and neighborhood violence. Noting a gap in the empirical literature, we also underscore the urgent need to better understand and evaluate the efficacy (and pitfalls) of community engagement practices within the justice system context. Further analysis of the impact of community courts on communities and public safety could illuminate how criminal justice agencies, nonprofits, and communities can collaborate to create safer and healthier neighborhoods.
