Chapter 22
Community
Justice
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
Community Justice
 Definition of Community Justice
 A Philosophy of Justice
 A Strategy of Justice
 Programs
 How Community Justice Differs from
Criminal Justice
 Neighborhoods
 Problem Solving
 Restoration
 Justice Reinvestment
 Overview of Differences
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
Community Justice Cont.
 Arguments for Community Justice
 Crime and Crime Problems Are
Local
 Crime Fighting Improves the Quality
of Life
 Proactive Rather Than Reactive
Strategies Are Needed
 Problems of Community Justice
 Impingement on Individual Rights
 Social Inequality
 Increasing Criminal Justice Costs
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“community justice”
a
model of justice that
emphasizes reparation to the
victim and the community,
approaching crime from a
problem-solving perspective,
and citizen involvement in crime
prevention
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“collective efficacy”
mutual
trust among neighbors,
combined with willingness to
intervene on behalf of the
common good, especially to
supervise children and maintain
public order
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
community justice
components
community justice
a philosophy
• more ambitious
than traditional
view of criminal
justice;
• concerned with
quality of life in
community
a strategy
• community
policing
• environmental
crime
• restorative justice
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“restorative
justice”

system of justice that seeks to
restore the victim, offender and the
community to a level of functioning
that existed prior to the criminal
event; seeks to repair the damage
done (to all parties) by the offender’s
criminal act
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
restorative justice approach
typical programs
 crime mapping
 citizen advisory groups re: crime priorities
 citizen partnerships with justice agencies
 justice actors are organized locally to
enable more effective strategy formation
 citizens and victims involved in sentencing
 broad use of offender community service
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“What Do They Want?”
 The
Myth: People in poor
communities want “bad guys” to be
taken off their streets and sent to
prison
 The Reality: People in poor
communities tell researchers that
they want to be “safe,” but they also
want their family members, even the
ones involved in crime, to not have
to go to prison
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
distinguishing community justice
from criminal justice
distinguishing
features
focus is on
neighborhood
(not legal jur.)
focus is on
restoration
(not retribution)
focus is on
problem-solving
(not adversarial)
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
arguments FOR
community justice
 Crime

crime affects quality of life of the
neighborhood; it is the neighborhood that is
best positioned to and has the greatest stake
in addressing crime
 Crime

and crime problems are local
fighting improves the quality of life
effort is to break the grip that crime has on the
community
 Proactive

is better than reactive strategies
preventing crime is better than reacting to the
damage it does to the victim and community
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
arguments AGAINST
community justice
 it
jeopardizes individual rights
tendency toward vigilantism?
equality before the law vs. different community
approaches to crime control
 state’s role in criminal justice decreases


 it
exacerbates social inequality


 it
community resources & political influence vary
communities with biggest need (worst crime
problem) have fewest resources
requires funds that are not available



traditional criminal justice increasingly costly
who pays for new focus? localities can’t afford
must shift costs within existing budgets
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th