NEW YORK STATE

PROBLEM-SOLVING COURTS

Problem-Solving Courts look to the issuesthat bring litigants into the justice system andseek to implement new approaches, includingjudicial monitoring and the incorporation ofcommunity resources. This comprehensiveapproach increases offender accountability,enhances community safety and improvesoutcomes while protecting the rights of alllitigants.

Hon. Judy Harris Kluger, Deputy ChiefAdministrative Judge for Court Operations andPlanning, is responsible for implementation andoversight of all Problem-Solving Courts in NewYork State.

Problem-Solving Courts in New York Stateinclude: Integrated Domestic Violence Courts,Domestic Violence Courts, Drug TreatmentCourts, Mental Health Courts, Sex OffenseCourts, Youthful Offender Domestic ViolenceCourts and Community Courts.

Hallmarks of all Problem-Solving Courtsinclude a dedicated judge who, along withcourt staff, is trained in issues unique to thatcourt type; increased engagement withlitigants; and close coordination between theProblem-Solving Court and outside groups,including prosecutors, defense attorneys, civilattorneys, law guardians, service providers,victim services organizations and lawenforcement, as well as other courts in thecounty and state.

NEW YORK STATE

PROBLEM-SOLVING COURTS

Integrated Domestic Violence ("IDV") Courtsserve families by allowing a single judge to hear

multiple case types - criminal, family and matri-monial - which relate to one family where theunderlying issue is domestic violence. Dedicated

to the “one family – one judge” model, IDV Courtsrespond to a historic problem in the court system,where domestic violence victims and their fami-lies traditionally had to appear in different courtsbefore multiple judges, often located in differentparts of a county, to address their legal issues. Byconnecting one judge with one family, IDV Courtsaim to provide more informed judicial decision-making and greater consistency in court orders,while reducing the number of court appearances.In addition, these courts facilitate access toenhanced services for litigants and help to ensureoffender accountability.

Integrated Domestic Violence Courts Community Courts

Community Courts combine conventionalpunishments with alternative sanctions and

on-site treatment and training in an effort tobreak the “revolving door” cycle of crime. Theyare a collaboration of traditionally separate entities, including citizens, criminal justiceagencies, businesses, local civic organizations,government entities and social serviceproviders, resulting in neighborhood-focusedproblem solving.

Many Community Courts house an array ofnon-traditional programs, such as mediation,job training and placement, drug treatment andhomeless outreach, all of which are rigorouslymonitored by the court in order to address prob-lems that often underlie criminal behavior.Services specifically targeted for youth includejob readiness, substance abuse, HIV preventionand tutoring and mentor programs.

Family

IDV COURTCriminal (DV)

Matrimonial

NEW YORK STATE PROBLEM–SOLVING COURTS NEW YORK STATE PROBLEM–SOLVING COURTS NEW YORK STATE PROBLEM–SOLVING COURTS NEW YORK STATE PROBLEM–SOLVING COURTS

www.nycourts.gov/courts/problem––solving/

Sex Offense Courts

Sex Offense Courts handle eligible crim-inal cases where the defendant has

been charged with a sex offense. Thesecourts seek to enhance public safetythrough monitoring offenders on probationsupervision, providing consistent and swiftintervention and enhancing offenderaccountability. Sex Offense Courts workwith probation departments to encouragethe use of a combination of intensive super-vision, treatment and behavioral verifica-tion to control offending behavior.

Sex Offense Court Judges and Staff coor-dinate with all relevant stakeholders, suchas prosecutors, departments of probation,defense attorneys and victim service agen-cies to ensure a uniform approach to themanagement of eligible sex offense casesand to promote the development and useof best practices.

Domestic Violence Courts

Domestic Violence (“DV”) Courts adjudi-cate criminal offenses involving intimate

partners. Domestic Violence Courts have beendeveloped as part of the justice system's coor-dinated response to domestic violence.Dedicated to enhancing safety and offenderaccountability, DV Courts facilitate access toneeded services, ensure intensive judicial mon-itoring and promote increased coordinationamong the courts, community stakeholdersand service providers.

Youthful Offender Domestic Violence(“YODV”) Courts handle exclusively thosedomestic violence cases involving defendantsaged 16 through 19. Like in all DV Courts, thepresiding judge in a YODV Court is trained inthe dynamics of domestic violence and in addi-tion is sensitive to the characteristics of thepopulation of adolescent defendants. YODVCourts work closely with providers of mandat-ed programs geared toward young offendersand the distinct issues they face.

Drug Treatment Courts

Drug Treatment Courts provide court-mandated substance abuse treatment to

non-violent addicted offenders, as well as tojuveniles and to parents charged in FamilyCourt child neglect cases, in an effort to endthe cycle of addiction and recidivism. Whatdistinguishes Drug Courts is their uniquelycollaborative approach to treatment: uponvoluntary entry into court-supervised pro-grams, appropriate non-violent addictedoffenders become part of an interventionprocess. This process involves coordinationbetween defense attorneys, prosecutors,treatment and education providers and lawenforcement officials. Rules of participationare defined clearly in a contract agreed uponby the defendant, the defendant's attorney,the district attorney and the court.

Mental Health Courts

The goal of Mental Health Courts is tolink defendants to treatment when

mental illness is the underlying cause oftheir criminal activity. These courts build onthe Drug Court model by seeking to breakthe cycle of criminal behavior throughtreatment. Mental Health Courts facilitateaccess to psychological services, provideintensive judicial monitoring and promotecollaboration among the court, communitystakeholders, local mental health depart-ments, mental health service providers andsocial service providers.

NEW YORK STATE PROBLEM–SOLVING COURTS NEW YORK STATE PROBLEM–SOLVING COURTS NEW YORK STATE PROBLEM–SOLVING COURTS NEW YORK STATE PROBLEM–SOLVING COURTS