Community Courts To Be Tried on Larger Scale in the Bronx

By ALEC MAGNET, Special to the Sun
October 7, 2005

Community courts have had such success in Midtown, Harlem, and Red Hook, according to the New York State Unified Court System, that it's time to try them on a larger scale - the Bronx.

Under Bronx Community Solutions, unveiled yesterday by the chief judge of New York State, Judith Kaye, Bronx judges are to sentence first-time, nonviolent offenders to community service, drug treatment, job training, and mental health counseling instead of jail time.

The nonviolent offenses covered include drug possession, shoplifting, and prostitution.

The program will cost $1 million a year, about half of which will come from the courts and the rest from federal and city funding.

"This up-front expenditure will be more than made up for with avoided jail time and community service," the director of the Center for Court Innovation, Greg Berman, said in a telephone interview. The center conceived of and planned the initiative.

The Midtown court contributes more than $175,000 worth of labor to the community each year, according to an independent evaluation by the National Center for State Courts.

"What we did find in Midtown was that the existence of the court encouraged police officers to take minor offenses serious," Mr. Berman said. "This is 'broken windows' theory come to the courts."

The Manhattan district attorney, Robert Morgenthau, vocally opposed the Midtown community courthouse when it first opened. Representatives of his office did not return calls asking for comment.

"What we're doing right now isn't working," Judge Kaye told The New York Sun. However, she added, "This is not a free pass out of jail. Offenders will receive punishment. Hopefully they will come before a court with more constructive solutions."