Understanding Community Justice Partnerships: Assessing the Capacity to Partner

Source: (2002) Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center. Downloaded 5 May 2004.

As the authors of this report note, research in recent decades has focused on juvenile and criminal justice agencies working with communities to reduce and prevent crime. Many demonstration programs have been developed across the United States with innovative models aimed at community crime prevention. While many programs have been evaluated, few evaluations have concentrated on understanding the capacity of communities to be strong partners in crime reduction and prevention. Little is known, assert the authors, about how community organizations can mobilize to reduce and prevent crime, and how they can engage in community justice activities in partnership with criminal justice and government agencies. This study is aimed at filling that gap by synthesizing current knowledge regarding the capacity of community organization to engage as partners in strategies to prevent crime. Specifically, the study develops a conceptual framework for improving the understanding of community justice partnership processes based on these components: (a) member characteristics that influence partnership characteristics; (b) partnership characteristics or dimensions related to outcomes; (c) goals, problem domains, and objectives; (d) activities; and (e) outcomes at the community, individual, family, and system levels. The major parts of the report consist of the following: Part I, assessing the capacity to partner; Part II, community justice partnerships–a catalog of justice agency involvement, program types, goals, and activities; and Part III, summary and recommendations.