Evidence, Innovations, and Procedural Fairness within Problem-Solving Courts

• In Event: Rutgers at 50: Evidence-based Practices and Post-Conviction Policies

Abstract

Within the past decade, problem-solving courts have grown at a rapid pace. Today, there are over 4000 problem-solving courts nationwide, and this number only appears to be increasing. Since the first drug court in the 1980s, a plethora of different types of problem-solving courts have since been established and each has been uniquely constructed to meet the needs of the clients it serves. While there has been wide variability in their construction and design, many of these courts place defendant treatment front and center in their design and construction. This presentation will focus on some emerging research examining defendant treatment in a new and innovative problem-solving court in New York. This court has been modeled and adapted based on prior innovations of these courts over the years and represents some of the most recent innovations within this field. With this in mind, this presentation will also cover a brief history of these courts and will close with a call for future research.

Author

• Anthony Azari, Rutgers University - Newark