The Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance recently announced that it had awarded $2 million to the Center for Court Innovation ("Center") to fund 10 community courts around the United States. The Circuit Court of Cook County was one of the sites selected. According to a press release issued by Chief Cook County Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans, the Restorative Justice Community Court's mission will be to "empower[] victims and residents to play an active role in the rehabilitation of adult offenders who commit certain nonviolent crimes" (http://bit.ly/1VUTVnd). As part of the award, the court will receive $200,000 and technical assistance from the Center, a non-profit that seeks to create a more effective and humane justice system. It conducts research and designs and implements operational programs like the community court project. The courts are neighborhood-focused courts that attempt to address local problems via the justice system. The community court model has seen significant growth since its inception in 1993. According to a Department of Justice report, "Community courts grow out of frustration. Observers have noted that justice has grown remote from communities and the people who live in them." Find out more about the Cook County Community Court, including where it will be located and when it will open, in the June Illinois Bar Journal.