In many cities and counties, the justice system is becoming more specialized, separating courts to address community, drug and family issues. Courthouse design also is changing to reflect the different missions of the problem-solving courts, which seek alternatives to jail sentences for lesser offenders.

A problem-solving court should have a different atmosphere from a traditional court, says Frank Greene, chair of the advisory group for the national American Institute of Architects' Academy of Architecture for Justice. While traditional courts often are designed with images of authority and power, such as a towering bench for the judge and sterile, security-minded décor, alternative courts must be more open and inviting to encourage cooperation by defendants passing through the system, he says.

New York's Midtown Community Court and Brooklyn's Red Hook Community Court are new examples of the specialized courthouse design model, says Julius Lang with the Center for Court Innovation (CCI), a New York-based non-profit agency that serves as a de facto research arm for the city's court system. “In the case of these two courts, the problems we were studying were how to deal more constructively with low-level crime and also how to address the fact that public confidence in the court system was lower than our chief judge feels is appropriate,” says Lang, who previously managed the Midtown court for several years.

Previously, Midtown's building was an old magistrate court, and Red Hook's courthouse was a school building. “The courtroom [in Midtown] feels very open and airy,” Lang says. “It's trying to balance a feeling of welcome and transparency with a sense of security, and, at some level, retaining the majesty and authority of the court.”

The Midtown court focuses on community service sentences, such as sending offenders to clean graffiti or sweep streets in the neighborhoods affected by their crimes, Lang says. “But the other part of the strategy is to recognize that a lot of people cycling through the court system have other problems [such as drug abuse and lack of job skills],” Lang says. Therefore, the community court connects offenders with social services. To serve those needs, the court was designed with cubicles on the sixth floor that are staffed with social service workers and court officials.

The Red Hook court uses similar design principles to the Midtown model. The courthouse includes a daycare center because a lack of childcare is a major obstacle to compliance with court dates. “If you have a place to drop off your child, that changes the picture a lot,” Lang says.

The courtrooms also are filled with natural light, and the bench is only slightly raised so the judge is on eye-level with the defendants. “That really changes the dynamic,” Lang says. “It still feels like a court, but it feels like a place where the court is trying to work with you instead of work against you.”

The Community Court of Indianapolis opened in April 2001 in a neighborhood that has seen some “troubled times,” but is now on the upswing, says Tina Hayes, a court coordinator for the Marion County Superior Court. The court handles low-level misdemeanor cases, such as prostitution and disorderly conduct. Between July 1 and Sept. 30 of this year, the court saw more than 600 offenders, some of whom had multiple cases.

The court building has a home-like atmosphere with hardwood floors and stained glass windows, Hayes says, which encourages residents to come in for help. The openness makes the court more effective, Hayes says. Its design encourages residents to interact with community court workers, and, eventually, call and report situations. “I think that we've created an environment that's very welcoming,” Hayes says. “It's not the typical metropolitan downtown courthouse.”