Reno Reporter

The Reno Municipal Court’s Community Court was honored to receive $4,500 of shoes and gift cards from Brooks Running Company. This gift will greatly benefit Community Court participants who may be in need of new shoes.

The donation was made possible thanks to District Court Judge Tammy Riggs and her daughter, Bridget, who works for Brooks. Brooks employees were able to donate up to $300 worth of product to a nonprofit/charitable cause of their choice. Ms. Riggs decided to donate to the Reno Municipal Court's Community Court. The idea spread quickly amongst 14 other Brooks employees, resulting in this donation.

“I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Bridget and the team at Brooks for securing this much-needed and generous donation for Community Court participants,” said Chief Judge Christopher Hazlett-Stevens, the presiding Judge of Community Court. “Everyone deserves the dignity of having a nice pair of shoes that fit. Donations like these leave a lasting and profound impact on the recipients.”

Community Court is held every Wednesday at the Washoe County Library, located at 301 South Center St. in Reno. While cases cited into the program are heard from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m., anyone seeking services may come to Community Court at 10:00 a.m. at the library to meet with providers. Services include but are not limited to: healthcare/insurance and primary care, Supplemental Security Income/disability, education and job training, clothing, behavioral health, housing referral, ID cards, library services, veteran program referrals and more.

Community courts aim to improve public safety and reduce reoffending by addressing underlying issues—like substance use disorders, mental illness, and chronic unemployment—that may lead to lower-level crime. At the same time, program participants perform community restitution projects. Nationally, research has shown that community courts can reduce crime and substance use, increase services to victims, reduce unnecessary use of jail, save money, and improve public confidence in justice.

For more information on the Reno Municipal Court’s Community Court program, contact James Popovich at popovichj@reno.gov. For more information about the community court model, visit this webiste or email info@courtinnovation.org.

Original source can be found here.