San Francisco District Attorney

SF District Attorney

Policy

Neighborhood Courts

Launched in 2012, Neighborhood Courts is an innovative model for keeping low-level justice involved individuals from entering the criminal justice system. The program is designed to resolve cases efficiently, create community-driven solutions to crime, reduce the congestion in our courts, and reduce recidivism.

  1. Bayview Neighborhood Court, Southeast Community Facility, 1800 Oakdale Avenue
  2. Chinatown Neighborhood Night Court, Salvation Army Chinatown Campus, 1450 Powell Street
  3. Ingleside Neighborhood Court, Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 2850 19th Avenue
  4. Mission Neighborhood Court/Mission Neighborhood Night Court, Bernal Dwellings, 3128 Kamille Court
  5. North Beach Neighborhood Court, North Beach Library, 850 Columbus Street
  6. Northern/Park District Neighborhood Court, Ella Hill Hutch Community Center, 1050 McAllister Street
  7. Polk Street Neighborhood Court, Episcopal Community Services, 1001 Polk Street
  8. Richmond Neighborhood Court, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street
  9. SOMA Neighborhood Court, The Rose Hotel, 125 6th Street
  10. SOMA Neighborhood Night Court, Oddfellows Building, 26 7th Street
  11. Sunset Neighborhood Court, Stonestown YMCA, 3150 20th Avenue

Community Involvement and Participant Accountability

Non-violent misdemeanor cases that would otherwise be prosecuted are diverted pre-charging by the SFDA into ten Neighborhood Courts across the City (one for each police district), where trained neighborhood volunteers hear the matters, speak with the participants (e.g. justice involved individuals under traditional prosecution) about the harm caused by their actions, and issue “directives” designed to repair the harm and address risk factors. Participation in Neighborhood Court is voluntary – but participants must be willing to take accountability for their actions. Once the participant completes their directives, the case is discharged. Cases that do not resolve in Neighborhood Court are returned to the SFDA for prosecution.

The Neighborhood Courts program is a partnership of the SFDA and two community-based organizations: the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project and Community Boards.

Innovation in Criminal Justice

  1. Efficient. Cases can be heard and completed within a couple of weeks, often before the case would even appear in criminal court
  2. Community-driven solutions. The community that is affected by the crime is empowered to resolve the matter by addressing the harm that was caused by the act.
  3. Justice reinvestment. By taking low-level cases out of our overburdened courtrooms, we can reserve justice system resources for the cases that need traditional prosecution – and reinvest the resulting savings in prevention and services. A 2018 study found that Neighborhood Court costs up to 82% less than prosecution. Moreover, through our Neighborhood Justice Fund initiative, payments made by participants into a “community restitution” fund are redirected into grants to nonprofit organizations across the City.
  4. Recidivism reduction. By keeping low-level offenders out of the traditional system and, in the process, keeping convictions off their records, the Neighborhood Courts remove an obstacle to meaningful participation in the community. As individuals gain an understanding of the impacts of their actions, they may be less likely to re-offend. Principles of procedural justice, core to the operation of Neighborhood Courts, also help to promote successful completion of the program.

A Recognized Model

Neighborhood Courts was identified as a 2015 Innovation in Criminal Justice by the United States Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Assistance, Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and Center for Court Innovation.  The model has been replicated in Los Angeles and Yolo County California and has garnered interest from jurisdictions across the country.

Neighborhood Adjudicators: Who are they?

Adjudicators are members of San Francisco’s diverse neighborhoods who volunteer to hear the cases. They have been trained in restorative justice and problem solving. They are NOT defense attorneys, prosecutors, or judges. They include residents, merchants, students, parents and retired community members.

During Neighborhood Courts sessions, adjudicators hear from the justice involved individual and the victim (in cases where there is a victim), and discuss the impact of the crime on the community.

Our community-based partners, San Francisco Pretrial Diversion and Community Boards, provide ongoing training and support to our adjudicators, helping them to infuse restorative principles into the sessions and to craft individualized directives in each case.

If you are interested in volunteering for Neighborhood Courts, click on this application and submit it today. If you have questions, call Jackson Gee at (628) 652-4258 or email him at Jackson.gee@sfgov.org.

Innovation in Criminal Justice Award Winner

by the US Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice and numerous other organizations in 2015

4,000+

cases heard since Neighborhood Court was created

287

cases handled in 2018

93%

of participants appeared

95%

successfully resolved their case through Neighborhood Court

78

grants provided back to the community through the Neighborhood Justice Fund

130+

community members have served as volunteer adjudicators

Resources

 

Neighborhood Court Participant FAQs

Neighborhood Court Participants (繁體中文)

Neighborhood Court Participants (Español)

Neighborhood Courts Victim FAQ

Neighborhood Court Victim (繁體中文)

Neighborhood Court Victim (Español)

Referred to Neighborhood Court?

Adjudicators are members of San Francisco’s diverse neighborhoods who volunteer to hear the cases. They have been trained in restorative justice and problem solving. They are NOT defense attorneys, prosecutors, or judges. They include residents, merchants, students, parents and retired community members.

During Neighborhood Courts sessions, adjudicators hear from the justice involved individual and the victim (in cases where there is a victim), and discuss the impact of the crime on the community.

Our community-based partners, San Francisco Pretrial Diversion and Community Boards, provide ongoing training and support to our adjudicators, helping them to infuse restorative principles into the sessions and to craft individualized directives in each case.

If you are interested in volunteering for Neighborhood Courts, click on this application and submit it today. If you have questions, call Jackson Gee at (628) 652-4258 or email him at Jackson.gee@sfgov.org.

SF District Attorney