Residents appearing in Meridian Municipal Court will have a better chance at receiving the help they need as the city’s judicial system was named one of 10 Community Courts by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Municipal Judge Dustin Markham said Meridian is the first court in the state to receive the community court title, which comes after more than two years of work to implement alternative sentencing and treatment programs.
“No other court in the state of Mississippi has been designated as a community court by the United States Department of Justice,” he said.
Markham’s efforts to reimagine how municipal court works began during his tenure as public defender under the previous administration. Prior to being appointed by Mayor Jimmie Smith, he said he spoke with the mayor and city council about some of his ideas and researched how other municipalities were tackling common problems.
“One week after my appointment in July 2021, I had a short meeting with all the court staff and the attorney,” he said. “I advised them that initially I would take the first three months to evaluate our courts performance as we serviced our citizens.”
Two weeks later, he said, he called another meeting to inform his staff that he wouldn’t need three months.
Over the past few years, Meridian Municipal Court has created a community service program to give residents without financial means a way to settle their court debts, Markham said. Additionally, the court has held annual amnesty days, where residents can sit down with court staff to work out a payment plan that is feasible for them, he said.
Another initiative, Markham said, has been night court, which allows residents unable to come to court during the normal work day an opportunity to have their court appearance held in the evening.
Meridian Municipal Court has partnered with Weems Community Mental Health to help connect residents with mental health and substance abuse treatment, Mississippi United to End Homelessness to provide resources for Meridian’s homeless population, Meridian Community College’s adult education and more.
Markham said the court clerks, attorneys, public defenders, police officers and everyone else involved have worked tirelessly to build these alternate pathways for Meridian residents, and the impact it has on the community is easy to see. More residents are coming to court, he said, and few residents are reoffending.
“Fines and jail time is still an option, but the alternatives, making people better, building people from the inside out, changing their level of thinking and creating the desire for them to want more now exists, and they are flourishing,” he said.
In addition to the prestigious designation as a community court, Meridian Municipal Court is also set to receive a $593,204 Community Courts Initiative Grant. Through that grant, Markham said, the court will be able to expand its resources even further. The funds, he said, will be used to hire caseworkers, community liaisons and more.
“We’re at the finish line, but where the finish line ends, a new race begins,” he said. “We now have the resources to further our commitment to alternative sentencing options for the citizens of Meridian.”
Markham said he is proud of the progress the court has made and excited for the strides forward that will be made in the future.
“We are one of the 10 in the nation who’ve been selected,” he said. “I’m proud of this. I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve been able to do.”