The Community Justice Center (CJC) is based on the Family Justice Center, a pioneering model founded in San Francisco in 2002.
The basic idea is to connect non-profit organizations that provide services to people in need, when they are often separated in both tangible and intangible ways — like communication and actual physical distance. The model allows multiple organizations to provide wraparound services in the same location to make them more accessible.
The Harrelson Center currently houses around 20 nonprofit partners. The CJC will be located on the fourth and fifth floors.
In 2007, former President Bush laid out best practices for these centers, and one of them emphasizes services for victims and their children.
“What if we actually wrap our arms around reluctant victims and witnesses? Why should victims be coming through metal detectors? Why should they have to see the people that have just terrorized them in the same hallways, so we wanted to create a place that's just for them — and that’s what this place is on the fourth floor," District Attorney Ben David said.
On the fourth floor, women and children will receive emergency services, including 24/7 rape evidence collection and magistrate-mandated protective orders.
David hopes to go further than earlier models, by taking a “restorative justice approach.” This means legal services for previous offenders of crime will be available — however, it will be located on the fifth floor, separate from victims’ services.
