When did Community Court start?
Multnomah County, Oregon is the first county in the nation with four Community Courts. The North/Northeast Portland Community Court has been operating since March 1998. The Southeast Portland Court opened in February 2000, and the Westside Portland Court opened in April 2001. In April 2003 a fourth court opened in Gresham.

What offenses are eligible for Community Court resolution?
Most misdemeanor arraignments in Portland are held in one of the three Community Courts. Most non-violent, non person-to-person misdemeanors and violations are eligible to remain in Community Court for final resolution, which includes social service referrals, a community service sentence and dismissal of most charges on the first case. More serious misdemeanors are set for the pre-trial docket in the regular court system.

How does a case get to Community Court?
Police officers cite people accused of misdemeanors and violations directly to the Community Court that has jurisdiction over the location where the crime occurred.

How big is the Community Court caseload?
The District Attorney's Office issued 7,660 cases in 2007 which were Community Court eligible. Defendants in 18% of these cases rejected CC and their cases were set for the pre-trial docket in the regular court system. Of the defendants who appeared and were CC eligible 68 % accepted CC and the case was resolved. In 43% of the cases the defendant failed to appear and the court either issued a bench warrant or, in cases issued as violations, entered a default judgment. It is important to note that offenses which are violations by law -- such as minor in possession of alcohol and possession of less then one ounce of marijuana -- are not included in the above number of CC eligible cases. Since violation citations are forwarded directly to the court and not screened by the DA's Office, they are not captured in the CRIMES computer system. The violations by law represent a significant number of cases resolved in CC.

When and where do the Community Courts operate?

• North/Northeast Portland Community Court operates on Wednesdays 9am to 5pm, at the Justice Center, 1120 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204.
  
  
• Southeast Portland Community Court operates on Thursdays 9am to 5pm, at the Justice Center, 1120 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204.
  
  
• Westside Portland Community Court operates Mondays and Tuesdays 9am to 5pm, at the Justice Center, 1120 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204.
  
  
• Gresham Community Court operates on Tuesdays 9am to 5pm, at the Gresham Circuit Courthouse, 150 W. Powell Blvd., Gresham, OR 97030.
  
  

Who staffs Community Court?

• Multnomah County Circuit Court - Judge and judicial/court staff.
  
  
• Multnomah County Human Services - Social Service Staff / Mental Health Case Managers.
  
  
• Multnomah County Department of Community Justice - Community Service Coordination (N/NE, SE, and Gresham Community Courts), and probation and community outreach services.
  
  
• Portland Business Alliance - Community Service and Social Service Program Coordination for Westside Community Court.
  
  
• Multnomah County District Attorney's Office - Deputy district attorney, legal assistant, part-time office assistant and Community Court project coordinator.
  
  
• Oregon Indigent Defense Services - Indigent defense representation. The three primary contractors are Metropolitan Public Defenders, Inc., Multnomah Defenders, Inc., and Squires and Lopez.
  
  
• Multnomah County Sheriff's Office - Facility Security.
  
  
• Portland State University - Student interns from the Masters in Social Work program.
  
  
• Portland Community College -Student interns

What is a typical Community Court sanction or sentence?
A typical Community Court sanction includes 1 to 5 days of community service and may include a social service mandate as well.

Are Community Court charges dismissed?
Most first-time cases at Community Court are dismissed if the defendant successfully completes the Community Court sanction.

How does the social services program work at Community Court?
A member of the social services team interviews and assesses Community Court defendants for social service needs. During the assessment, the social services staff may make referrals to social services such as Oregon Health Plan, state public assistance, mental health or drug and alcohol counseling. The Community Court judge receives information received during the assessment and may question the defendant further about social service needs. The Judge may also mandate the defendant to social services as part of the Community Court sanction. Community Court social service staff also perform case management tasks and compliance reporting for the Community Court.

How are the Community Courts funded?
Several grants have served as seed money for the Community Court Projects. Initially, the North/Northeast Portland Court received a $50,000 grant from the Executive Office of Weed & Seed to partially fund the cost of a judge, judicial support staff and defense representation. In January 1998 the project received a $200,000 Weed & Seed grant to pay the remaining operating and personnel expenses.

The Southeast Portland and Westside Portland Community Courts initially received grant funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Those grants have now expired and the Court, in its fifth year of operation is supported by local and state resources. Currently, local Weed & Seed sites are providing financial support for the SE Portland and N/NE Portland Community Courts. The computer technology for the N/NE Portland and SE Portland Courts was financed through the Multnomah County Public Safety Bond Technology Program.

In addition, the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Center for Court Innovation have provided extensive and valuable technical assistance in the design, development and implementation of Portland’s Community Court Project.