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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 360-03
December 15, 2003

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND NEW YORK CHIEF JUDGE JUDITH S. KAYE CELEBRATE THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MIDTOWN COMMUNITY COURT

United Kingdom to Create Community Courts Starting in 2004 Based on the New York Model

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Midtown Community Court. The nation's first community court, the Midtown Community Court is credited with igniting widespread interest in its unique problem-solving approach to justice after opening in the Times Square neighborhood of Manhattan in 1993.  The award-winning court targets quality-of-life crimes like prostitution, vandalism, and shoplifting, holding low-level defendants accountable for their offenses through a combination of community service sentences that restore neighborhoods victimized by crime and court-mandated participation in services designed to divert the offender from future criminal activity, such as on-site drug treatment, job training and counseling.  New York Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye, Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman and British Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Lord Falconer of Thornton, who announced creating community courts in the United Kingdom starting in 2004 based on the New York model, joined the Mayor at a ceremony.

The Midtown Community Court was the subject of an independent evaluation by the National Center for State Courts, which documented its tangible impact on neighborhood crime: prostitution arrests dropped 56% and illegal vending was down 24%. The court boasts a 75% compliance rate for community service—the highest in New York City—contributing more than $175,000 worth of labor to the community a year. Two dozen cities across the country have opened or plan to open community courts based on the model of the Midtown Community Court. 

“Ten years ago, Times Square was seen as the quality-of-life crime capital of the City,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Today, it is the heart of New York with thriving commerce, clean streets and packed theaters.  The Midtown Community Court brought justice to a problem area, and the results couldn’t be clearer.  From the beginning of my administration, our crime-fighting strategy has been to focus on problem people and problem places – whether it’s the chronic misdemeanant, the most dangerous sexual predator, or the neighborhood that suffers from the most gun violence.   When we focus on the people that cause crime and the areas that experience the most crime, we can have our greatest impact, which is how we have been able to drive crime down to such historic lows citywide.”

The Midtown Community Court's success in crime reduction and neighborhood revitalization in its ten years of operation has attracted the attention of law enforcement officials nationally and internationally. British Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Lord Falconer of Thornton today announced the launch of a series of community courts in the United Kingdom based on the New York model. The first of these community courts will open in Liverpool by the end of 2004. The United Kingdom will be the first nation outside of the United States to replicate the problem-solving model of courts begun in New York.

Chief Judge Kaye received the historic announcement by British officials with enthusiasm, saying, “We in New York are proud that problem-solving courts like the Midtown Community Court are having reverberations in other nations and inspiring leaders within the judiciary to rethink the traditional court process. Over its ten years of operation, the Midtown Community Court has presented an effective alternative to revolving-door justice by taking a results-oriented approach to low-level crimes that restores neighborhoods victimized by petty crime, as well as helping offenders relinquish criminal behavior. The result is a win-win for all: society, the courts, and the defendant. I am confident that British citizens will benefit from the long-term solutions these courts offer to address the complex justice issues modern-day democracies share.”

Lord Falconer stated, “I am pleased to be here in New York and celebrate the city’s success in fighting crime and improving justice. I believe we in Britain have much to learn from community courts in New York and I am delighted to join Chief Judge Kaye and Mayor Bloomberg at the tenth anniversary celebration of Midtown Community Court. I look forward to examining the lessons from the U.S. and then putting them in practice in the U.K.”

The Midtown Court was the product of a partnership between the New York State Unified Court System and the Fund for the City of New York, and was New York's first experiment in problem-solving justice. Recognizing the value and the potential of this unique public-private partnership to fuel out-of-the-box thinking on justice issues, Chief Judge Judith Kaye and Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman permanently established the Center for Court Innovation in 1996. The Center, which functions as the New York State court system's independent research and development arm, is dedicated to enhancing the performance of courts and has as its goals reducing crime, aiding victims, strengthening communities and promoting public trust in justice. The Center's web site (www.courtinnovation.org) provides information about problem-solving courts, including drug treatment courts, domestic violence courts, mental health courts and community justice centers developed in partnership with the state court system of New York.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Edward Skyler / Robert Lawson   (212) 788-2958



GENERAL CONTACT:

David Bookstaver (NY Courts)   (212) 428-2500


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