Court Navigation and Support – Policy Research Associates

Many people who become involved in the criminal legal system experience behavioral health and social service-related needs that remain unmet throughout their system involvement. These unmet needs can result in people cycling through the system, taking a toll on their well-being and placing a burden on the system. In recognition of this challenge, jurisdictions across the United States have begun to implement court navigator programs to bridge the gap between the behavioral health and criminal legal systems.

Researchers at Policy Research Associates, Inc. conducted a three-year project to better understand court navigator programs. Across three phases of work, researchers completed a national scan of court navigator programs, conducted site visits to five programs, and interviewed nearly 100 people involved with these programs (e.g., court actors, navigators, service providers, and people who had received services).

The national scan of programs found 18 court navigator programs located across 21 different states. Most programs operate in a single jurisdiction though some operate in multiple jurisdictions, statewide, or nationally. Programs are typically funded via local governments or grants and navigators are often employed through non-profit or behavioral health agencies. Navigators direct people around courthouses, answer basic questions about the court process, and connect people to services in the court and in the community. Generally, court navigators emphasize connecting people to services via a ‘warm handoff’ to ensure the connection is made successfully.

During interviews, respondents described key takeaways that spoke to the goal, workflow, and benefits of court navigator programs. We briefly summarize six takeaways here:

• 1. The main goal of many navigator programs is to reduce recidivism by clarifying court processes and helping people get connected to needed behavioral health and social services.
• 2. The navigator role is autonomous and flexible allowing navigators to tailor and adjust their schedules as needed.
• 3. Navigators spend a lot of time developing and maintaining vast referral networks. This community building is the foundation of court navigator success.  
• 4. Navigators reduce the workload of court staff, jail staff, and service providers by taking on the work of connecting people to services within the courthouse and in the community.
• 5. Court navigator programs have been well received in the counties in which they operate.
• 6. People helped by navigators describe the experience as incredibly positive.

To demonstrate the final takeaway, one person who had received services from the navigator in Buncombe County shared, “Its nerve-wracking being [in court] sometimes and it’s nice to have someone just pleasant, friendly, respectful. He was just very helpful.”  Another person who had received services from a navigator with the Criminal Justice Liaison Program in Tennessee expressed, “I couldn’t tell you how much I appreciate the work that she has [done]. Like I said, she went over and beyond what her job title is. She really did. … every state ought to have [a Court Navigator Program].” Nearly everyone interviewed for this project recommended that all courts consider implementing this type of position.

A resource guide describing court navigators in detail is forthcoming in September 2024. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about court navigators, you can access our National Compendium of Court Navigation and Support Services, our podcast episode on court navigators, or a summary of court navigator programs appearing in 2024 edition of Trends in State Courts published by the National Center for State Courts.

Media pieces and products:

• National Compendium of Court Navigation and Support Services: https://www.prainc.com/resources/compendium-court-navigation-programs/
• A podcast episode describing court navigator programs: https://soundcloud.com/policyresearch/dp-court-navigators
• A summary of court navigator programs appearing in 2024 edition of Trends in State Courts published by the National Center for State Courts: https://www.ncsc.org/publications-and-library/trends

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