“Paterson is a city of second chances,” Mayor Andre Sayegh said Monday as a community court program was launched there. “Improving public safety requires a compassionate and holistic approach and this is the last piece to what we’re trying to do,” he said.
The program, which will give those who’ve committed low-level, nonviolent crimes a way to get back on the right path without facing arrest, is made possible with the help of a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and will operate within the Paterson municipal court. The community court will include a team of professionals specializing in behavioral health and social services.
Plans are also in the works to expand the community court to include other services, like enrolling people in community college, so they can take the next steps in reaching new goals.
