Community Justice Today: Values, Guiding Principles, and Models

• NCJ Number: 305536
• Date Published: November 2022
• Length: 24 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2020-MU-BX-K005
• Agencies: BJA-Sponsored

Annotation

This paper updates the six guiding principles for community justice programs.

Abstract

This informative paper by the Center for Court Innovation describes community-based efforts to respond to the crises confronting the US justice system and society in general, and updates community justice’s guiding principles. Community justice seeks to build upon the work done in the field for almost 30 years while broadening the concept of community justice to include both community courts and non-court models, offering court planners, practitioners, and communities a plan for building programs that meet modern challenges while promoting justice system reform. The updated list of guiding principles of community justice programs are to co-create justice, advance equity, put people first, prioritize community-based solutions, promote accountability, and model innovation. Through these updated principles of community justice, the Center for Court Innovation seek to resolve the societal issues of racial disparities, police abuses, and overuse of jails. This evolving list of guiding principles is an effort to adapt community justice programs to the needs of today’s communities.