Plymouth Community Justice Court: A Case Study of Problem Solving Interventions, Reducing Re-offending and Public Confidence

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The criminal justice system has over many years introduced a range of initiatives designed to reduce crime and support offenders in their efforts to desist from crime. One recent initiative, originating in the U.S.A and aimed specifically at low risk offenders, adopted by the English court system is the community justice approach. It has been piloted in a number of areas of England including Plymouth where in May, 2007 a Community Justice Court (CJC) was established alongside the Magistrates' Court.There are two main ways in which the CJC differs from the traditional Magistrates' Court. First, the community is involved in identifying crimes or anti-social behaviours which can be targeted by the police and then in identifying work which offenders could undertake to make reparation to the community. Second, the CJC can use problem solving meetings which involve the offender and staff from probation and other third sector and statutory agencies. The aim of the meetings is to focus on the problems which have contributed to the offender's criminal behaviour and identify ways in which these problems can be tackled. The decisions of the problem solving meeting are then built into the sentence imposed by the CJC. The rationale is that if a solution can be found to these problems then the offender will be less inclined to commit crimes in the future.This project has four main foci. First, it will develop an understanding of the effectiveness of the CJC by tracking cases and examining re-offending data. Second, it will examine in detail how the CJC operates and how and on what basis decisions are made whether to refer particular cases to problem solving meetings. Third, it will examine how problem solving meetings actually function. There are two aspects of problem solving meetings which are critical to their effectiveness: collaboration between professionals and the nature and extent of the participation by the offender, and the aim here is to identify how these are accomplished and what impact they have on outcomes. Finally the project will examine how communities respond to the CJC and what sort of confidence they express in its procedures.To address these questions we will undertake four packages of research work reflecting each of these aims. First, we will collate and analyse statistics from the courts, police and probation in order to estimate how effective the court is in preventing re-offending. We will also interview a sample of offenders to gain an understanding of how they evaluate the impact of the court on their behaviour. Second, we will make detailed observations of the activities of the court and interview those who work in the court (e.g. magistrates, probation staff, solicitors) for their perceptions of how the CJC operates and how decisions about referral to problem solving meetings come about. Third, we will make video recordings of a sample of problem solving meetings. These recordings will be transcribed and then subjected to detailed analysis for patterns of interaction related to collaboration and participation and which can be identified as influencing the functioning and outcome of these meetings. Finally, we will undertake surveys and focus groups with residents in order to gauge how selected neighbourhoods perceive the effectiveness of the court.By focusing on the processes involved in the day to day operation of the CJC, we aim to understand better how this form of justice operates and to identify practices which promote its effectiveness. The results of our project will reveal a number of lessons which will be applicable beyond the Plymouth model and be able to inform criminal justice agencies more widely. These findings will be disseminated to those working in the criminal justice system and local communities in order to improve understanding of how community justice works and, more practically, to help develop the skills of those who are involved in the different operations of the court.