Local Courts, National Impact: A Roadmap to Equity

Local courts—including more than 7,500 municipal courts—process nearly four of every five criminal cases in this country each year.Perhaps precisely because of their scale and diversity, these courts have largely been left to their own devices, becoming a primary driver of racial and class-based inequity within the legal system and local communities.But what if the sheer size of the local court system is an opportunity, not a liability?It was with this conviction in mind that JustLeadershipUSA and the Center for Justice Innovation embarked on a year-and-a-half-long national conversation about these courts and their impact. This report details a series of recommendations which emerged from this conversation, offering a pathway to justice crafted by the people who know these courts best: the people and communities who have experienced them first-hand.