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The Centre for Mental Health Research at the University of Auckland has just released 5 reports as part of their preparatory study on problem-solving courts in New Zealand. The project, headed by Dr Katey Thom, sought to provide an evaluation model that could be applied across all problem-solving courts.

Dr Thom says the rapid expansion of problem-solving courts has not always been matched with rigorous research on the function and effectiveness of the problem-solving courts. The evaluation programme the team have come up with is intended to provide an evidence based and theoretical grounded framework for future evaluations of these courts in New Zealand.

This Law Foundation funded project looked at the New Zealand context as well as existing evaluations undertaken internationally on similar problem-solving courts. The team carried out observations to understand how the problem-solving courts function and identify some of the issues they currently face. Through undertaking four critical literature reviews, the team also explored international evaluation practices and identified key issues for consideration in future evaluations of the problem-solving courts.

The reports generated from this project are intended to act as a resource to improve understanding and enhance the approach to evaluating problem-solving courts in the future:

Evaluating Problem-Solving courts in New Zealand – a synopsis report

A Review of Alcohol and Other Drug Court Evaluations

Evaluating Community Justice – a review of research literature

Evaluating the Aims, Methods and Results of Indigenous Courts

Family Violence Courts – A Review of The Literature

The New Zealand Law Foundation has funded up to $66,450 towards research costs for this project.

Other Law Foundation funded Research Reports