Mayor Cory A. Booker, Municipal Council President Donald M. Payne, Jr., Business Administrator Julien X. Neals, Esq., Municipal Court Chief Judge Richard E.A. Nunes, United States Department of Justice Senior Policy Advisor Kim Ball, Essex County Superior Court Assignment Judge Patricia K. Costello, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray, the Center for Court Innovation, Newark Municipal Court Judges and other dignitaries held an opening ceremony to launch Newark Community Solutions, a court-based community justice initiative that brings the justice system and the community together in order to improve public safety and restore public trust in the justice system.  The ceremony was held in the Municipal Council Chamber at City Hall, located at 920 Broad Street.

“Our Municipal Court is manifesting our commitment to excellence, leadership, and most importantly justice, by partnering with the Center for Court Innovation to create this initiative. We will take a holistic approach to addressing public safety issues and their causes through Newark Community Solutions,” Mayor Booker said. “This program is about ending cycles of recidivism by creating positive change and empowering lives.

“The launch of the Newark Community Solutions is an extraordinary advancement in the criminal justice system. NCS, the first of its kind in New Jersey, represents a unique partnership between all three branches of government, and the collective commitment to use the power of government to improve the lives of individuals. We are extremely proud of the early and immediate success of NCS and look forward to the continued benefits it will yield on the quality of life,” said Business Administrator Neals, who initially worked to develop this program when he was Chief Judge of the Newark Municipal Court.

"Over the years, the U.S. Department of Justice, through its Bureau of Justice Assistance, has worked to promote community justice with the Center for Court Innovation as a partner. We couldn't be more proud to support such an exciting project as Newark Community Solutions in its unique efforts to apply problem-solving justice to an entire city, while at the same time fostering bonds between the court and the community," said Kim Ball, Senior Policy Advisor, Adjudication, for the United States Department of Justice. "This is indeed as ambitious as any community justice initiative we've been part of, and the City of Newark deserves great credit for undertaking such efforts."

Newark Community Solutions gives Newark’s judges the ability to sentence low-level offenders to a combination of punishment and help - with restorative, visible community service performed in Newark’s wards and with social services that focus on offenders’ underlying problems, such as substance abuse, mental illness, or unemployment.  At the same time, Newark Community Solutions seeks ways of engaging Newarkers in “doing justice” – by giving residents input in program priorities and forming a community advisory board to identify disorder hotspots for offenders to clean as part of their community service sentences.

"Newark Community Solutions is an example of forward thinking to improve the administration of justice in Newark. We support the City's endeavors to improve and advance the delivery of solutions to social problems,” said Hon. Judge Costello in a statement.  Hon. Anthony J. Frasca, Presiding Judge of the Essex County Municipal Courts, represented the Essex County Superior Court at the event. 

“The Newark Municipal Court is very excited and proud to launch Newark Community Solutions. Our Court has worked extremely hard to make the vision of Newark Community Solutions a reality for the City of Newark. The Court itself is off to a great start and is having a positive impact on the lives of the persons that come before it and their communities,” said Judge Nunes.

“It is extremely important that we provide alternative options for our citizens to become better and more productive participants in this community.  The NCS program has been put in place to do just that. We look forward to its progress and the progress of our community as a whole,” said Council President Payne, Jr.

Newark Community Solutions was planned and is operated by a remarkably broad public-private partnership that includes the City of Newark, the Newark Municipal Council, the New Jersey Administrative Office of Courts, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the non-profit Center for Court Innovation.  Other key partners include the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Newark’s Center for Collaborative Change, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, the Nicholson Foundation, and the Office of the Newark Public Defender.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Murray said, “Every day we see the tragic consequences of individuals committing crimes while suffering from mental illness or under the influence of narcotics. An initiative that gets much needed treatment for individuals at the municipal court level, before they have committed serious offenses, certainly is an important undertaking and one we hope will have long-term beneficial results.’’

“Newark Community Solutions is an ambitious effort to leverage the authority of the court to put offenders back on the path to a productive life and in the process to improve public safety for all Newarkers,” said Project Director Jethro Antoine. “The extensive partnership supporting this innovative project will ensure that Newark Community Solutions succeeds at strengthening the ties between court and community.”

The Newark Municipal Court is the largest such court in the State of New Jersey, handling more than 500,000 cases each year. It rules on traffic, housing code enforcement, sanitation, quality-of-life, and minor criminal offenses. Under the Booker administration, the Municipal Court has moved to enhance customer service, improve its technology, and create new initiatives like a Community Court to take a holistic approach to addressing causes behind crime in the City of Newark.

For information about any City of Newark program or policy, contact the Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.