Vancouver' Downtown Community Court (DCC) is an innovative court that addresses crimes in a specific geographic area that have their roots in poverty, addiction and mental illness. This project seeks to understand and develop evidence-based research on the ways in which health and the social determinants of health, such as housing and employment, are addressed by the DCC.
The DCC has been studied in terms of procedural efficiency (case processing speed) and effects on recidivism (rates in reoffending among offenders). We seek to examine an overlooked but critical dimension of the court: its actions with respect to, and impact on the health and well-being of court participants and the surrounding community.
We anticipate that the DCC is an under-examined health actor and seek to understand how legal professionals in the court perceive their roles and that of the court with reference to health and well-being.