In most courts in the Cook County district, a person accused of a crime will have their case decided in a courtroom, by a judge. There’s little attempt to tackle any issues underlying the crime, and few alternatives to incarceration if they’re found guilty.
A new court opening this summer in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood is looking to change that equation for some offenders. The Restorative Justice Community Court will offer select young people charged with non-violent felonies or misdemeanors another way to redress alleged wrongs. Backed by a Department of Justice grant, the court will test whether its more holistic approach to confronting crime—offering mediation between the accused and accuser, and restitution targeted at the local community—will result in fewer young adults going to jail.
[For more of this story, written by Yana Kunichoff, go to https://www.theatlantic.com/po...ustice-court/524238/]
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