Information on: Community Courts

D.C. Superior Court's Community Courts
- Community courts bring together criminal justice and community partners and corresponding resources to respond to crime and safety issues, hold defendants accountable, address defendants’ needs and the underlying causes of their criminal behavior, improve the quality of life in communities, and administer justice. In a community court, everyone has a role to play in helping solve problems--not just the judge, prosecutor, and defense attorney, but also social service and government agencies, community organizations, businesses, faith community, individual residents and the defendant/offender. Through these partnerships, community courts respond more effectively to crime and develop solutions that improve outcomes for the community, victims, and the defendants/offenders themselves.
- The first Community Court in the country was the Midtown Community Court, launched in 1993 in New York City by the Center for Court Innovation (CCI). Many community courts, inspired by the Midtown model, are now in operation around the country and worldwide including community courts in South Africa, England, Australia and Canada.
- The DC Superior Court now has eight community courts: D.C. Community Court, Mental Health Community Court, 1D Community Court, 2D/4D Community Court, 3D Community Court, 5D Community Court, 6D Community Court, and 7D Community Court.
The DC Community Court
- Moultrie Courthouse, Courtroom 115, Magistrate Judge Richard Ringell
- This community court was implemented in January 2002 to hear all D.C. misdemeanor cases and criminal traffic violations. The D.C. misdemeanor crimes include offenses such as disorderly conduct, aggressive panhandling, possessing an open container of alcohol, and drinking or urinating in public. Although the criminal behavior is not violent, it has a significant negative impact on the D.C. community and the quality of life of its residents. The criminal traffic violations include offenses such as no permit, unregistered auto, operating after suspension, operating after revocation, driving while intoxicated, driving under the influence, and driving while impaired. The purpose of the D.C. Community Court is to:
- (1) improve public safety;
  
  (2) hold defendants accountable and have them “pay back” the community for the harm caused the offense by having the defendants perform community service; and
  
  (3) link defendants with social services that they may need such as drug treatment, workforce development, and mental health services.
  
  A defendant’s eligibility for the diversion program is determined by the Office of Attorney General.
  
  Hours of Operation
  The D.C. Community Court operates Monday-Friday starting at 9:40 am.
Mental Health Community Court (MHCC)
- Moultrie Courthouse, Courtroom 211, Judge Ann Keary
- Program Goals
  
  1. Reduce the defendant’s involvement in the criminal justice system;
  
  2. Improve the mental health of defendants by connecting them with appropriate services in the community and monitoring their progress in the program;
  
  3. Reduce crime in the community and protect public safety by reducing recidivism of mentally ill defendants;
  
  4. Reduce the rate of jail detention and involuntary forensic hospitalization for defendants, thus reducing overall costs to the criminal justice system.
- Hours of Operation
  The Mental Health Community Court (MHCC) judge sits on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon beginning at 2pm. The Mental Health Community Court (MHCC) currently hears nonviolent felony cases on Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays mornings at 10am in Courtroom 211.
U.S. Misdemeanor Community Courts
- The Superior Court established the East of the River Community Court (ERCC) in September 2002. The ERCC was established to more efficiently process misdemeanor cases, reduce police overtime, and provide additional resources to the underserved neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. The ERCC adjudicated US misdemeanor cases (not involving domestic violence) in the Sixth and Seventh MPD Police Districts east of the Anacostia River, including: drug possession, sexual solicitation, unlawful entry, simple assault, theft in the 2nd degree, and illegal dumping. The ERCC collaborated with several agencies and organizations such as the Pretrial Services Agency, Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, United States Attorney’s Office, Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association, Metropolitan Police Department, and Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. As an alternative to traditional case processing, eligible defendants were offered an opportunity to voluntarily participate in ERCC diversion programming, providing defendants with US misdemeanor offenses to make restitution to the community, accept responsibility for their behavior, obtain necessary treatment and educational services, and divert a possible criminal conviction.
- In 2010, the DC Superior Court commissioned a study to determine the effectiveness of the ERCC in reducing reoffending activity. The study, conducted by Westat, focused on 4,046 defendants who entered the ERCC in 2007, 2008, and 2009 and examined the rate of successful completion of ERCC diversion programs and defendant reoffending activity in the District of Columbia and Maryland for approximately 12 months post-disposition.
- After receiving preliminary information from Westat indicating that the ERCC approach and community court model was far more successful than traditional criminal justice responses to reducing reoffending activity, DC Superior Court Chief Judge Lee Satterfield reconfigured the Criminal Division’s misdemeanor calendars to implement the community court model in all MPD police districts.
- On January 3, 2012 the Community Court was expanded to serve all 8 wards and 7 police districts in the city. Operations began for the 1D (First District) Community Court, 2D/4D Community Court, 3D Community Court, 5D Community Court, 6D Community Court, and 7D Community Court. (Note: the ERCC was split into the 6D Community Court and the 7D Community Court). A defendant’s eligibility for the diversion programs is determined by the United States’ Attorney’s Office.
- Program Goals
  
  1. Enhance the quality of life in DC neighborhoods including reducing reoffending activity
  
  2. Address offender needs by linking them to treatment and social services
  
  3. Increase public trust and confidence in the court system
  
  4. Increase offender accountability including performing community service
  
  5. Streamline case processing
  
  6. Reduce criminal justice costs
  
  7. Forge partnerships to solve neighborhood problems
- For more information about the DC Superior Court’s community courts or if you have any suggestions, comments, questions, or concerns, please contact Michael O. Francis, Community Court Branch Chief/Coordinator by email at michael.francis@dcsc.gov.

Community Courts in the News

01/07/2013	Mental Health Courts Deal with Defendants Suffering from Mental Illness Courtesy of The National Law Journal View Article
11/19/2012	DC Community Courts’ Successes – Public Safety Radio Podcast Courtesy of CSOSA Listen to podcast
09/23/2012	Novel Courts Handle Low-Level Crimes Across US Courtesy Associated Press and ABC News View Article
07/01/2012	Mental Health Community Court Marks Five-Year Anniversary Read the full article

Studies of Community Courts
- 2012 WESTAT Cover Letter and Evaluation