Judges can throw the book at defendants, they can lock them up, too. But if the crime isn't violent, does that help the community? Does it help the offender? Community courts seek to handle minor criminal cases in a different way, intervening in the lives of defendants and sometimes sentencing them to do work that improves the community they harmed.
Judge Ronald B. Adrine, Administrative Judge Cleveland Municipal Court
Judge Suzan M. Sweeney, Cleveland Municipal Court