The Effect of Community Courts on Recidivism: A Quasi-Experimental Study

The study examines the effectiveness of community courts in reducing recidivism, aiming to address methodological limitations of previous research. Using a quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching, the research compared 686 program participants (393 completers and 293 noncompleters) referred to community courts with a matched group of 1,797 individuals adjudicated in mainstream magistrate courts for similar offenses. Recidivism was measured using reconviction data at 1, 3, and 5 years following case completion or release from incarceration. Research findings suggest that although participants in the community courts program exhibited fewer reconvictions compared with those adjudicated in mainstream courts, no significant differences were identified between the treatment and control groups. However, upon separating between those who successfully completed the community court program and those who failed to complete it among the treatment group, program completers had significantly lower recidivism rates compared with the matched comparison group.