Problem Solving Courts Overview

Welcome

The New York State Unified Court System serves the needs of nearly 19.5 million people, the third-largest state population in the nation. Our 1,300 state judges, 2,300 town and village judges and 17,000 non-judicial employees, working in over 300 state courts and 1,300 town and village courts, spread throughout 62 counties in 13 judicial districts, hear hundreds of thousands of cases each year.

To meet the challenges of such a large system, more than two decades ago, the New York State Unified Court System began to establish problem-solving courts. These courts help judges and court staff to better respond to the needs of litigants and the community. Problem-solving courts look to the underlying issues that bring people into the court system, employ innovative approaches to address those issues, and seek to simplify the court process for litigants. Through intensive judicial monitoring, coordination with outside services, treatment where appropriate, the removal of barriers between courts and increased communication with stakeholders, these courts are able to change the way our system manages cases and responds to individuals, families and communities.

Problem-solving courts take different forms depending on the problems they are designed to address. Drug and mental health courts focus on treatment and rehabilitation. Community courts combine treatment, community responsibility, accountability and support to both litigants and victims. Sex offense, domestic violence and integrated domestic violence courts employ judicial monitoring and the use of mandated programs and probation to ensure compliance, facilitate access to services and remove artificial barriers between case types.

Hon. Judy Harris Kluger as Chief of Policy and Planning for New York State Courts oversees and supports these courts and works with judges statewide to study and develop new strategies to improve the delivery of justice in New York. As part of that work, the Office of Policy and Planning provides guidance, support and comprehensive training programs to problem-solving courts statewide.

Chief of Policy
and Planning

Honorable Judy Harris Kluger
Chief of Policy and Planning
New York State Courts

 

What's New

Our website has been redesigned and new sections on Adolescent Diversion Pilot Parts and Veterans Courts have been added.

 

Contact Info

For further information on Problem-Solving Courts or if you would like to schedule a court visit, please contact the Office of Policy and Planning at ProblemSolving@nycourts.gov

 

Information

Problem-Solving Courts Brochure