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HEADLINE: Northeast Denver gets its own court Juvenile cases will stay closer to home

BYLINE: Annette Espinoza , Denver Post Staff Writer

When the Denver Community Court opens Friday to hear juvenile cases in the Cole neighborhood and surrounding areas of northeast Denver, residents will be waiting in the wings to provide support.

Community members were consulted and involved in creating the juvenile court and will support it through outreach programs offered to offenders. In addition, the court is located in the area where the crimes occurred and is accessible and less intimidating than a downtown court would be.

'There are only 20 (community courts) nationwide, and the community is driving the whole process,' said Loree Greco, Denver Community Court planner.

The Community Court, a pilot project in Denver, is an extension of the court at Cole Community Justice Center, 3280 Downing St., Unit E., at Clyburn Village. The justice center, which opened in 2000, handles traffic, parking and other minor cases; beginning Friday, it also will deal with juvenile municipal violations ranging from shoplifting and curfew violations to assault and minor drug offenses.

'This (traffic) court has been here for years, but the community wasn't really involved in it,' said Debra Johnson, a restorative justice advocate for the Cole neighborhood.

The Community Court will be different. After police give a juvenile a ticket, community members - most of them volunteers - will call victims to get statements about how they were affected by the crime. Later, the offender will be expected to go back and repair any damage.

'If you offend in 80205, you need to repair 80205,' said Amalio Payan, 19, referring to the ZIP code covered by the Community Court.

Payan, who said he was born and raised in the Cole neighborhood, will work as a mediator and youth supervisor for Crew Unique, a community service program that will transport offenders to crime scenes to make repairs.

In addition, community members will do an assessment of offenders to see if there are ways they can help prevent the juvenile from getting in trouble again or if there are things about the juvenile that the judge should know before sentencing.

Young people between ages 10 and 18 who commit crimes or live in one of seven neighborhoods that share the 80205 ZIP code will have their hearings in the community court.

Those neighborhoods are Cole, Clayton, City Park, City Park West, North City Park/Skyland, Five Points and Whittier.

The court's organizers and others say they believe that traditional courts aren't working or are overwhelmed and that community courts can provide an element of healing not possible in the traditional system.

'I think the system is going to realize that the hook 'em and book 'em don't work no more,' Johnson said.

'A community is harmed by crime. The community working through the Community Court will be able to repair the harm,' said Tom Russell, a professor of law at the University of Denver.

The Community Court took a year to plan and is the result of meetings between residents, judges, members of the district attorney's office, police and other justice and health organizations.

'I've never seen this kind of effort to change the system,' said Sandy Douglas, coordinator of the Cole Neighborhood Organizing Alliance.

The Community Court will also provide assistance to 80205 residents by handing out information on housing, employment, health, food, clothing and other programs.

The Community Court has the support of many, including Denver County Judge Melvin Okamoto, a former magistrate in Denver Juvenile Court for 17 years.

"It's a great concept that's long overdue," Okamoto said.