Albany Municipal Court plans Night Court session at Albany Tech

ALBANY — Chief Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver has notified Albany Mayor Bo Dorough and members of the Albany City Commission of plans to hold a pilot Night Court session at Albany Technical College on Oct. 20.

As noted in Albany Code Sec. 22-55(2), the Municipal Court Chief Judge, in his discretion, may schedule a Night Court session of Municipal Court. Weaver sent notification of his intent to hold the Night Court session in a letter to the mayor and board of commissioners.

“The Night Court session, a pilot for now, will continue to explore community-based initiatives that have been encouraged by the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance, the entity that provided the grant funds for our current Albany Works! program,” Weaver said in his letter to city leaders.

This Night Court pilot session will provide Municipal Court with information to help support efforts to employ Community Court as a reasonable option rather than the traditional punitive nature of a courthouse-based judicial proceeding.

Once an after-action report is completed, Weaver and Municipal Court officers will consider whether Night Court provides the community with a benefit and thereby warranting further implementation. It will be the court’s intent to present the results of the after-action report for your consideration of a regular schedule for Night Court.

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