The pioneering Midtown Community Justice Center is expanding its operations for the second since reopening after a COVID-related hiatus to stay open a third day per week.
Created to address low-level crimes with alternatives to incarceration, the justice center, formerly referred to as Midtown Community Court, was the nation’s first “community court” model. This model does not specialize in one particular problem but a range of social issues in one target neighborhood.
It operated continuously from its founding in 1993 until in-person proceedings were suspended during the pandemic. It reopened in 2022, but only at a fraction of its former capacity for one day a week, and began to see cases of defendants across the boroughs struggling with mental illness. In March 2023, the court expanded its operations to ages 18 to 25 throughout the borough of Manhattan and opened its doors another day per week.
On Sept. 25, the court again increased its scope to serve adults ages 26 and older for certain qualifying offenses committed within one of six Midtown police precincts, and will stay open on Wednesdays through Friday. Additionally it will preside over Manhattan summonses for any pedicab violation or reckless driving offense.
“The Midtown Community Justice Center is a long-established neighborhood fixture that for more than three decades has provided critical programs and services to address the root causes of crime, putting justice-involved individuals on the right path and enhancing the safety and overall quality of life for those who live in, work in, and visit the areas of Manhattan served by the court,” said Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas. “I am both pleased and excited to announce today’s launch of the MCJC’s Wednesday calendar.”
The expansion will come with one other targeted community approach. For adults 26 and older, certain theft and drug possession charges will also be arraigned in the court on Wednesdays if committed within Manhattan’s 25th Precinct’s 125th Street corridor. Eligible defendants to be represented by the Legal Aid Society.
“With the court already busy two days a week providing alternatives to incarceration for emerging adults and people with mental illness, a third day will allow the court to invest in even more collaborations with the community around public safety and community justice concerns for the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood,” said Courtney Bryan, executive director of the Center for Justice Innovation.
Prior to the pandemic, the community court had developed services that included street outreach for unhoused individuals and community engagement initiatives. Its post-pandemic operations include the misdemeanor mental health program it started when it first returned two years ago, which addresses low-level offenders with serious mental illnesses related to their criminal justice involvement.
When it expanded last year, it implemented a borough-wide Manhattan arraignment calendar for emerging adults ages 18 through 25.
“The MCJC’s long record of success clearly demonstrates the vital role of compassionate, problem-solving justice approaches in improving community safety and fostering public trust in our state courts,” said Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George.
