Does San Francisco’s Community Justice Center Reduce Criminal Recidivism?

Abstract

Community courts aim to improve outcomes by addressing factors linked to criminal behavior with access to treatment and services, and by emphasizing ties to a specific neighborhood. In 2009, San Francisco opened the Community Justice Center (CJC), a community court serving a traditionally high-crime area. This report examines whether the CJC reduces the risk of rearrest when compared to more traditional approaches for addressing arrestees.