Collaborative Justice Courts

Collaborative justice key principles, as defined by the Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee, based on All Rise's 10 components described in "Defining Drug Courts: The Key Components "Defining Drug Courts: The Key Components," are as follows:

• Collaborative justice courts integrate services with justice system processing.
• Collaborative justice courts emphasize achieving the desired goals without using the traditional adversarial process.
• Eligible participants are identified early and promptly placed in the collaborative justice court program.
• Collaborative justice courts provide access to a continuum of services, including treatment and rehabilitation services.
• Compliance is monitored frequently.
• A coordinated strategy governs the court's responses to participants' compliance, using a system of sanctions and incentives to foster compliance.
• Ongoing judicial interaction with each collaborative justice court participant is essential.
• Monitoring and evaluation measure the achievement of program goals and gauge effectiveness.
• Effective collaborative justice court operations require continuing interdisciplinary education.
• Forging partnerships among collaborative justice courts, public agencies, and community-based organizations increases the availability of services, enhances the program's effectiveness, and generates local support.
• Effective collaborative justice courts emphasize a team and individual commitment to cultural competency. Awareness of and responsiveness to diversity and cultural issues help ensure an attitude of respect within the collaborative justice court setting.

The Judicial Council’s Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee advises the Judicial Council regarding collaborative justice, or problem-solving, courts. It makes recommendations to the Judicial Council for developing collaborative justice courts, improving their processing of cases, and overseeing the evaluation of such courts throughout the state.

The mission of the Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee is to:

• Make recommendations to the Judicial Council on criteria for identifying and evaluating collaborative justice courts;
• Assess and measure the success and effectiveness of collaborative justice courts;
• Identify local best practices;
• Recommend minimum judicial education standards and educational activities;
• Advise the council of potential funding sources;
• Make recommendations on grant funding programs administered by the AOC; and
• Recommend appropriate outreach activities to support collaborative justice courts.

Learn more about the Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee.