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Bronx Community Solutions is an initiative that seeks to apply a problem-solving approach to non-violent cases in the Bronx. Its goal is to provide judges with increased sentencing options for non-violent offenses such as drug possession, prostitution and shoplifting. By combining punishment with help, Bronx Community Solutions seeks to reduce the Bronx’s reliance on expensive and ineffective short-term jail sentences, and build public confidence that the system is holding offenders accountable and offering them the assistance they need to avoid further criminal conduct. The project builds on the successful community courts in Red Hook, Midtown and Harlem, which have reduced local crime, improved compliance with alternative sanctions and strengthened the connections between courts and communities. The project, the largest of its kind, is the nation’s most ambitious experiment in going to scale with problem-solving justice. Recognizing this, the U.S. Department of Justice recently named Bronx Community Solutions one of 10 winners in a national competition for innovative criminal justice projects.
Bronx Community Solutions was officially unveiled in an October 2005 ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring New York State Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye (Ret.), Bronx District Attorney Rob Johnson, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance Director Domingo Herraiz and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion.
To read more, visit Changing the Court, a blog kept by the project's planners and practitioners to document the implementation process. 
To read the latest Bronx Community Solutions newsletter, click here.
To view a screening tool used to assess offenders' social service needs, click here. |
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| Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson welcomes guests at the opening of Bronx Community Solutions | |
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Enhanced Sentencing Options: All judges in the Bronx will have a broad set of sentencing options at their disposal, including drug treatment, job training, family services and mental health counseling.
Community Service: Offenders will be assigned to community service work in neighborhoods
throughout the Bronx. Project staff will work with residents and community groups to
create community service options that respond to local problems (for example, trash in a local park or walls marred by graffiti).
Domingo Herraiz, Director of the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance, joins New York Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye (Ret.) in cutting the ribbon to officially open Bronx Community Solutions
Increased Accountability: By quickly assigning offenders to social service and community service sentences, and rigorously monitoring their compliance, Bronx Community Solutions will send the message that community-based sanctions are taken seriously.
Community Engagement: Bronx Community Solutions invites community groups and local residents to play a number of concrete roles in ongoing operations, including identifying hot spots and eye sores for community service projects, and participating in a neighborhood advisory board.
Since the project began pilot operations in January 2005, nearly 4,000 individuals have been assigned to perform community restitution and receive social services through Bronx Community Solutions. It is expected that the program will handle upwards of 10,000 cases annually when fully operational.
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FEATURED PUBLICATION
Bronx Community Solutions: A Video Introduction
A documentary-style overview of Bronx Community Solutions, an experimental project that brings the problem-solving principles of the Midtown Community Court and Red Hook Community Justice Center to over 40 courtrooms in a busy urban courthouse. This 8 minute video was produced and directed by award-winning film maker Meema Spadola.
click here to order a copy
Click here to see the Bronx Community Solutions video
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