Contact: Nathan Lederman 508-584-8120
BROCKTON – Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz hosted the inaugural meeting of the Plymouth County’s Community Court Advisory Board yesterday after being awarded a $900,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant toward the development and implementation of a community court in Brockton.
Through the four-year grant, awarded last September, the PCDAO recently hired a Community Court Coordinator — Jeffrey Smith — to oversee the day-to-day management of court operations and partnerships. The Advisory Board held their inaugural meeting yesterday afternoon, which was attended by many community partners. These valuable stakeholders in this project include members of the Brockton Police Department, Brockton District Court Clerk’s Office, Plymouth County Bar Association, Father Bill’s & MainSpring, Brockton’s Downtown Business Association, Mayor Robert Sullivan’s Office, the Brockton City Council, Community Justice Support Centers, state Representative Alyson Sullivan, the Gavin Foundation, and Bridgewater State University.
The goal of the Plymouth County Community Court is to work on alternative plans that are individually tailored for justice-involved participants with lower-level criminal offenses. The court will operate at a pre-adjudication level, with the average length of program participation anticipated to be approximately six months. Our office projects that in its first year, the Plymouth County Community Court will see 60 participants, and a total of 550 participants after four years in operation.
“There are approximately 34 community courts throughout the country, each is unique to the area that they serve and the population they work with,” DA Cruz said. “While there are many specialized court programs throughout the Commonwealth, I am excited to say that ours will be the first Community Court in the state. Our hope is that this court will improve the quality of life here in the City of Brockton — not only for court participants, but for members of the community.”
The Community Court model has evolved into differing approaches based on the needs of cities and counties that are interested in reinvigorating public trust in justice, reducing the use of incarceration, and forging new responses to crimes committed in the community. The Plymouth County Community Court will be a living, breathing court with the capacity to pivot and change based on the needs of the Brockton community. Surveys will be sent out to the wider community asking for feedback, and Bridgewater State University will be conducting research on the court during its early implementation and beyond to help the court adjust when needed.