Reno Community Court Reopens This Month

Press release from the City of Reno:

April 6, 2021

The Reno Municipal Court (RMC) will relaunch its Community Court program on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 9 a.m. Community Court will resume at the Community Assistance Center, located at 335 Record Street in Reno.

Community Court was in operation for one year until the pandemic closed down its operation. The health and welfare of each employee, contractor, service provider, and member of the public that enters our facility is paramount. Maintaining their health and safety as a top priority, the time has come to reopen for the overall benefit of the community.

Reno’s Community Court was one of seven applicants from around the country recently selected by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance under its National Community Courts Initiative, and will receive $183,000 and technical assistance from the Center for Court Innovation to enhance its operations.

Community courts aim to improve public safety and reduce reoffending by addressing underlying issues — such as substance use disorders, mental illness, and chronic unemployment — that often lead to lower-level crime. At the same time, program participants perform community restitution projects. Nationally, research has shown that community courts can reduce crime and substance use, increase services to victims, reduce unnecessary use of jail, save money, and improve public confidence in justice.

Aaron Arnold, the Center for Court Innovation’s Director of Technical Assistance, said, “In these challenging times, RMC Community Court’s award reaffirms the important work being done by community courts and, in particular, the creative efforts of RMC’s Community Court. It’s a huge accomplishment to win this highly selective national competition, and we look forward to working with them.”

For more information about the community court model, visit courtinnovation.org.

This press release was produced by the City of Reno. The views expressed are the author's own.