Two Tuesdays a month, the Honorable Marsha H. Neifield presides over the Project Dawn Court (PDC) in Philadelphia’s First Judicial District Municipal Court. PDC is a non-traditional, problem solving court for women who have been repeatedly arrested on prostitution charges. Women who agree to participate in the court plead no contest to their latest charge of prostitution. Instead of going to jail, they complete four phases of treatment, including sexual trauma recovery therapy and drug treatment. Each month, the participants check in with the PDC team – Judge Neifield, their public defender, an Assistant District Attorney and a specially assigned probation officer– to make sure their recovery is on track. If a woman falls behind and returns to “the life,” the team works together to determine how to help her pull through – preferably without seeing jail time. When a woman graduates from the program, her case is dismissed. If she remains arrest and drug free for a year, the matter is expunged entirely from her record.
Externs working for the CSE Institute visited PDC and observed. Because PDC is not like other courts, observing it is not like walking into any other courtroom. All PDC participants sit in the courtroom together and stay through the entire day’s proceedings as each woman comes up individually before Judge Neifield to discuss her progress. Rather than adversarial, the atmosphere in the courtroom is collaborative, encouraging, and uplifting. When a woman has perfect attendance at her treatment and therapy sessions and has clean drug tests, everyone in the courtroom applauds her. She is even given an award of a piece of jewelry.
But Judge Neifield also administers “tough love” if she needs to. If a participant has not remained free from drug use or hasn’t attended her trauma therapy sessions, Judge Neifield demands to know why she has fallen off track. The collaborative team then works together to find a way to get her back on track, whether that is finding a different treatment program to enroll her in or issuing a sanction like community service. Sometimes participants are even instructed to write an essay reflecting on their shortcomings. When a woman returns to her seat among her co-participants after a moment of falling off track, she has encouraging hugs waiting for her along with the chance to do better the following month.
There is also an official graduation ceremony. When a woman graduates she is given a certificate, met with more applause, and Judge Neifield shares warm and congratulatory words. During graduation, she is given the opportunity to speak about her time in PDC and reflect on her progress. These are very touching and moving moments for everyone in the courtroom—for the woman, she realizes how far she has come, and for the other participants, they are given hope that a new way of life is achievable.
Judge Neifield and Mary DeFusco, Esquire, the Director of Training and Recruitment at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, who helped found PDC, sit on the CSE Institute’s Board of Advisors.
Project Dawn Court Team