Telephone: (315) 671-2797
Fax: (315) 671-2745

Hon. Langston C. Mckinney
Syracuse City Court
(Every Thursday at 9:30 a.m.)

Coordinator
Matthew L. Brown

Site Supervisor
Dan Phelps

Background and Purpose of Syracuse Community Treatment Court The Syracuse Community Court is committed to invigorating justice for both the community and the defendant. Prior to the Court’s existence, defendants charged with traditional “Quality of Life” infractions were usually fined minimally or released into the community without penalty or supervision. This practice addressed neither the Social Service needs of the defendant nor the Community’s need for justice.

Community Court is hearing such Quality of Life crimes such as loitering, noise ordinance, open container, park curfew and littering. Community Court is held every Thursday in the Public Safety Building before Hon. Kate Rosenthal. If the defendant pleads guilty, he/she is given the option of performing community service or paying a fine of up to $500. Community Court violations may also carry a penalty of up to 15 days in jail. If the defendant chooses the option of community service, he/she is assessed by the resource coordinator focusing on financial, housing, educational / vocational needs and medical, substance abuse and mental health issues. Community service consists of a 7 hour shift working in the neighborhood in which the offense was committed. The emphasis is placed on giving something back to the community and the service consists of cleaning various sites of litter, brush and debris, and even removing snow from areas around fire hydrants. As of February 17, 2004 there have been 6,194 hours of service performed by community court work crews since the courts inception in July of 2001.