After the successful launch of the Neighborhood Prosecutors program initiated by City Attorney Mike Feuer earlier this year, which brought together deputy city attorneys and neighborhood leaders to identify and tackle local public safety priorities, the neighborhood-centered justice initiatives continue with the new Neighborhood Justice Program, scheduled to be formally inaugurated next month. According to Feuer, the program “is designed to connect closely to the special character of each L.A. neighborhood, targeting low-level offenses that the current system often fails to handle effectively.” It will rely on trained community volunteers knowledgeable about their neighborhoods’ quality-of-life challenges, and a system of services designed to prevent offenders from repeating their crimes. The program is based on principles of restorative justice: An offender should take responsibility for his conduct; he should help restore what has been taken from the individual and the community victimized by his conduct; community members should take an active role in shaping what that restoration entails; and the offender should be required to take advantage of services designed to reduce the likelihood of recidivism.
For people who commit certain misdemeanors, NJP is a way to avoid going to court, of being convicted or pleading guilty, and of having a criminal record. Instead, participants in NJP appear before a panel of community members, where they discuss the crime, the reasons why it was committed and the harm it caused. The panelists decide what obligations (consequences) are appropriate for the participant given the crime and the harm caused. Such obligations can include community service, a letter of apology, restitution, and classes aimed at ensuring that the participant never has contact with the law again. If the participant completes those obligations, the case is dismissed. If the participant fails to complete the obligations, the case is referred back to the City Attorney.
NJP presents an opportunity for:
Community Members to take an active role in how their community responds to the commission of minor crimes, such as vandalism and petty theft.
Business and Home Owners to have a voice in a process that respects their role as victims of property crime.
Individuals With No Criminal Record to take responsibility for their part in a minor crime and to avoid criminal court in the hope that they will have no further contact with the law.
Neighborhood Justice Panels will convene once a week in your community to:
Repair the harm done to the community by the commission of minor crimes, such as vandalism and petty theft.
Restore the victim of such crimes back to how they were before the crime was committed.
Rehabilitate the individual who committed the crime by avoiding the criminal justice system and connecting them to services.
The Neighborhood Justice and Neighborhood Prosecutor programs are two components of the City Attorney’s new Community Justice Initiative, which aims to use integrated, neighborhood-centered innovations, to reduce violence and improve safety in LA’s diverse communities.
For more information on the program and how you can take part in the neighborhood panels, visit the NJP website. Panelist applications are available by contacting Peter Borenstein at (213) 978-8735 or [email protected].
