Number and percentage of all cases granted alternative form of adjudication (e.g. community service) in lieu of monetary penalties for those not able to pay

Status

The Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) was established to address quality of life and public order offenses occurring in the downtown Austin area utilizing a restorative justice court model.  DACC offers alternatives to fines and fees for defendants to handle their cases such as community service restitution and participation in rehabilitation services. This measure highlights how DACC motivates individuals to handle their cases in a manner that is non-punitive and does not create a barrier for individuals in their future endeavors.  Individuals experiencing homelessness are DACC’s priority population and the program’s main goal is to permanently stabilize these individuals by providing person-centered and housing-focused wraparound services.

Trending

The trend for cases granted alternative forms of adjudication has been increasing since FY18.  This trend continues due to an increase in the number of court defendants who are unable to pay fines and fees.  Additionally, more court defendants, who are also experiencing homelessness, are requesting referrals to DACC’s intensive Case Management Program to work on acquiring basic needs, long-term stability and permanent housing in lieu of paying court fines and fees.  
Note: to see the underlying data for this chart, please select the "View Source Data" link to the left.

Additional Measure Insights

Measure Details and Definition

1) Definition:  This measure is how many cases at DACC are grant an alternative form of adjudication.
 2) Calculation method: We calculated this measure by dividing the number of cases with a disposition of an alternative form of adjudication as listed below by the total number of cases with a disposition excluding the dispositions listed below.
Alternative form of adjudication dispositions
  • CC Dismissed - Completed Deferral      
  • CC Dismissed - Identity Issue          
  • CC Dismissed - Insufficient Evidence         
  • CC Dismissed - Interest of Justice     
  • CC Dismissed - Plea Bargain            
  • CC Dismissed - Proof Shown             
  • CC Dismissed - Prosecutor Discretion  
  • CC Guilty with a payment type of Community Service (CS) or Judicial Order (JO)                              
  • Dismissed - Compliance Dismissal       
  • Dismissed - Interest of Justice        
  • Dismissed - Prosecutor Discretion      
  • Dismissed Plea Bargain   
Excluded dispositions
  • Case Closed Defendant Deceased
  • CC Dismissed – Transferred to Municipal Court
  • CC Dismissed/Refiled
  • Court Administrative Termination
  • Dismissed – Refiled
  • Dismissed Entry Error
  • Duplicate Case
 3) Data Collection Process:  Data for this measure is collected by DACC staff inputting information from citations issued in DACC’s jurisdiction and from court processes.  All data is entered in DACC’s electronic court case management platform.
 4) Measure Target Calculation: The target was calculated using the past three years’ worth of data, which suggested there are 80% of cases that are completed using an alternative form of adjudication.
 5) Frequency Measure is Reported: Annual (Fiscal Year)
Date page was last updated: April 2023