Midtown Community Court Adds New Day To Its Docket

MIDTOWN, NY — The nation's first community court, where low-level offenders can find support alongside punishment, showed signs of pandemic recovery this week when it added another day of proceedings to its calendar.

Midtown Community Court on West 45th Street, which offers alternative solutions to quality-of-life offenders, doubled its hours of operation Thursday when it began opening two days a week, officials announced.

"I’m elated that our efforts paid off," said state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Judiciary committee chair.

“Without a fully functional Midtown Community Court, we’re fighting quality of life crimes and recidivism with one hand tied behind our back."

The additional day will accommodate young offenders with Manhattan desk appearance tickets and mental health cases referred from Bellevue Hospital, officials said.

Those referred to the court — typically people accused of low-level crimes such as shoplifting or drug possession — may now be offered alternative sentences such as community service, mental health counseling and job training.

"MCC turns offenders’ lives around," said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. "[It] provides critical support services that reduce crime."

Officials and advocates have long demanded that the West 45th Street court expand its operations, citing concerns over Midtown quality of life offenses and data that show the innovative court benefits the city.

Since the Center for Court Innovation founded the court in 1993, Manhattan Community Court defendants have performed over 1 million hours of community service, court data show.

In 2018, years before COVID-19 forced it to close, Manhattan Community Court heard nearly 10,000 cases and saved the city an estimated $1.2 million in reduced use of jail, according to court data.

But the pandemic took its toll on Manhattan Community Court, which was forced to close and reopened last March but only for one day a week.

Limited hours has meant limited success, lawmakers say.

And in the first half of 2022, more than 1,000 cases that could have been diverted to the Midtown Community Court wound up in criminal court, according to a September letter signed by a number of Manhattan elected officials.

That's why Courtney Bryan, the Center for Court Innovation's executive director, celebrated the new day on the court's docket as a win.

"The Midtown Community Court has been able to reduce the use of incarceration, improve safety, and help New Yorkers get the help they need to lead safe and healthy lives," Bryan said.

"Now, with the courtroom open a second day every week, we can help even more people get the counseling, education and other vital assistance they need to achieve success and avoid the negative collateral consequences of justice system involvement.”