About

Six years ago, a diverse group of elected officials, government experts, and community stakeholders convened with the goal of reforming the Marion County criminal justice system. That innovative team sought to address underlying challenges generations in the making, which had resulted in an overburdened, antiquated, and unequal system of justice for residents.

After months of listening and learning, the Criminal Justice Reform Task Force released a series of recommendations to fundamentally change the existing system. They included a shift to prioritize assessment and treatment over incarceration, especially for those who struggle with mental health or substance abuse disorders. There was also a clear need to address aging, inefficient facilities that served as barriers to collaboration and successful re-entry — specifically our county jail system.

Soon after, we found partners in the Twin Aire neighborhood and the surrounding communities, who jumped at the chance to replace a 15-year-old brownfield resting on $24 million of environmental remediation efforts. And as we broke ground on the site, we combined our reform-minded approach with an intention to uplift one of our city’s most historic areas.

On May 16, after two years of a pandemic and a national reckoning on race that only further exposed the inequities of a broken system of criminal justice, we cut the ribbon on the Community Justice Campus.

The event represented a significant step forward in implementing the original recommendations for reform. The campus brings a modern, holistic, and data-driven approach to criminal justice in our city. Critically, it unites partners on a single site, making it easier for those who interact with the justice system to navigate it.

The campus houses the Marion County courts, sheriff’s office, Adult Detention Center and our flagship Assessment and Intervention Center, or AIC. The AIC, which was the first facility to open on the campus in December 2020, provides mental health and addiction assessments as an intervention point before someone is arrested. The goal is to help keep non-violent, low-level offenders out of jail by providing them with the resources and support they need to address underlying mental health or substance use issues.

In its first year of operation, the AIC received 2,419 referrals and conducted 1,707 assessments of individuals for mental and behavioral health and substance abuse issues. Instead of being thrown in jail, these individuals are now getting access to resources and services, including short-term stays at the AIC to address withdrawal management and connection to direct service providers such as recovery housing and community mental health treatment.

Not only is the AIC making a significant difference, but the Adult Detention Center itself is restructured with a focus on improved physical and mental health services for inmates. The facility features Medication Assisted Treatment capabilities, Narcan vending machines, and suicide prevention advocates. It also includes enhanced space for inmates to take part in education, job training, counseling, and other programs to assist with re-entry.

More facilities are on the way: a modern Youth and Family Services Center, to replace our aging Juvenile Detention Facility and guide young people toward positive paths; a professional building to house the Public Defender and Probation Department in close proximity to the new courthouse; and coroner and forensics facilities to more quickly find justice for families who have had loved ones taken from them too soon. And as the Community Justice Campus continues to grow, we will work with neighbors to bring responsible local development along with it.

At the outset, we knew the work of criminal justice reform would not be finished in one year, or four years, or even in the life of my administration. And our work is not yet finished. But with the opening of the Community Justice Campus, we have made a vital step toward improving outcomes for generations of Indianapolis residents to come.

For Immediate Release
Monday, May 16th, 2022

Mayor Hogsett, City Leaders Celebrate Opening of Community Justice Campus

New Campus Brings Modern, Holistic, Data-driven Approach to the Indianapolis Justice System

Indianapolis – Mayor Joe Hogsett, city leaders and community partners celebrated the opening of the new Indianapolis-Marion County Community Justice Campus (CJC) today with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the now fully operational site on the city’s southeast side.

The opening of the CJC is a cornerstone of Mayor Hogsett’s criminal justice reform efforts, bringing together community partners on one campus for a modern, holistic, data-driven approach to the Indianapolis justice system.

The CJC now houses the Marion County Superior Court, Marion County Circuit Court, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Adult Detention Center and the Assessment and Intervention Center (AIC). The AIC, which opened to the public in December 2020, is a pioneering mental health and addiction treatment facility to help keep non-violent, low-level offenders out of jail, provide wrap-around support services and reduce recidivism.

“The opening of the Community Justice Campus represents the closing of multiple jails and the opening of the first, purpose-driven facility built for our City’s criminal justice system in nearly 60 years,” Mayor Hogsett said. “As we mark this occasion, we recognize that our work to reform our criminal justice system is not finished. Because we did not set out to build buildings, we set out to change as many lives as possible.”

Mayor Joe Hogsett was joined at the ribbon cutting by Sheriff Kerry Forestal, Marion Superior Court Judge Amy Jones, Indianapolis City-County Council President Vop Osili, City of Indianapolis Director of Public Health and Safety Lauren Rodriguez and more than a hundred community partners involved in the project.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office moved its operations to the new campus earlier this year alongside the opening of the Adult Detention Center. In addition to increased capacity, the new Adult Detention Center features advanced technology and monitoring capabilities. It also offers improved physical and mental health services for inmates, including modern medical facilities, enhanced addiction treatment and Sheriff Forestal’s new Suicide Prevention Advocates.

“We’re proud of the enhanced support we’re able to provide at the new facility, such as improved medical services and access to mental health and addiction treatment. The design of the ADC and the dramatically improved technology will allow us to keep our employees and the people in our custody safer and more secure,” said Sheriff Forestal.

The Marion Superior Court moved its operations to the new Courthouse earlier this month, with the exception of the Marion County Probation Department, Juvenile Detention Center and its Juvenile Delinquency hearings which continue to be held at 2451 N. Keystone Avenue.

The new Courthouse includes 71 state-of-the-art court rooms supporting 36 Superior Court Judges, 1 Circuit Court Judge and 45 Magistrates. It includes enhanced technology and security features and improved public services.

“For the first time in many years our local Judiciary will be united on one campus.  The technological capabilities of the new Courthouse are unmatched.  We can now allow for increased opportunities for remote appearances as well as digital evidence presentation and preservation.  We also have a robust legal resource center that will provide assistance to individuals navigating the court system as well as enhancing their access to justice,” said **Judge Jones.  **

The Community Justice Campus, which broke ground in 2018, is located in the Twin Aire neighborhood at the site of the former Citizens Energy Group Coke Plant. In 2019, the Indianapolis Bond Bank and Building Authority issued bonds to generate project funds of $571 million for the Courthouse and Adult Detention Center and $13.8m for the Assessment and Intervention Center. The annual debt service, approximately $37.5 million, will come from savings and efficiencies created by the consolidation of facilities. Remaining costs were covered with budgeted funds and additional savings. No new taxes were levied to pay for the facilities.

"The Community Justice Campus is much more than a new set of buildings; it reflects the new culture of our local system of justice, one centered on our commitment to value the humanity of incarcerated persons, to treat mental and behavioral health challenges, including addiction, as medical problems, and to see the period of incarceration as one during which individuals can receive help to make better choices when they leave,” said Indianapolis City-County Council President Vop Osili.

The CJC site was chosen with input from and collaboration with the Twin Aire neighborhood and other community and justice partners.

The Community Justice Campus is located at 675 Justice Way, Indianapolis IN 46203. For more information and parking instructions, visit IndyCJC.com. For specific details on Marion Superior and Circuit Court proceedings, visit mycase.in.gov.

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