NCJ Number
98665
Date Published
1980
Length
76 pages
Annotation
This report of Chicago's Neighborhood Justice Task Force presents the results of the task force's research on neighborhood justice centers in other cities as well as the resulting proposed plan for a pilot neighborhood justice center in the Chicago neighborhood of Uptown-Edgewater. The report also describes the project's first year of operation (October 1979-October 1980).
Abstract
The introductory chapter describes the demographic characteristics of the Uptown-Edgewater community where the pilot neighborhood justice center was established. The second chapter presents data on the number and kinds of misdemeanor arrests being made in the Uptown-Edgewater community to indicate the magnitude of interpersonal conflict not being adequately settled through conventional adjudication. Data are also presented from interviews with representatives of community agencies and organizations regarding disputes that come to their attention. Five chapters discuss the findings of the task force's survey of the literature on neighborhood justice as well as the unpublished experiences of those implementing the concept in other cities. The topics reviewed are alternative structures for neighborhood justice, jurisdiction, intake processes, resolution processes, and the qualifications and training of hearing officers. The description of the project's first year of operation focuses on provision for mediation and arbitration processes, characteristics of the mediator panel, sources of case referrals, disputant characteristics, and the types and volume of cases. Chapter notes and tabular data are provided.