San Francisco’s Neighborhood Courts were created by the District Attorney’s Office as a means to use restorative justice to reduce recidivism and increase community input into low-level crimes in the city. Neighborhood Courts began adjudicating its first cases in June 2011.
It allows those directly affected by low-level crimes to have a say in their community and decide how they can use this experience to help the participant not re-offend by creating ties with the community and addressing their needs in a more effective way than incarceration and punishment.
A Neighborhood Court usually includes three panelists to meet with a participant.
Panelists are community volunteers who are trained in restorative justice, cultural competency and facilitating community panels for misdemeanors and infractions.
Neighborhood Courts are not meant to be punishment, but to be reparative.
Offenders become participants, the judges are community panelists, and participants are not convicted, but are given directives.
Courts meet in neighborhood’s community centers throughout San Francisco.
The community and the participant discuss the incident, the impact and harm upon the community, and what the person thinks they should do to make things right with the community.
The panelists then decide a creative and non-punitive directive for the participant. The panelists can even dismiss a case if they believe there was no harm or the person has already made substantial effort to repair the harm.
Participants are often directed to do community service, attend anger management or harm reduction classes in lieu of court dates, fines, or jail time. This avoids possibly becoming involved in the criminal justice system.
The participant has one month to complete their directive. If they do not re-offend within a year, the violation will disappear from their criminal record.
–Mehera Reiter is a volunteer Neighborhood Court panelist in San Francisco. She has been a panelist for about a year. Reiter says, “It is a great thing for the community.”
