Maricopa County Southeast Juvenile Courthouse

Maricopa County, the 4th largest court system in the country, had outgrown the usefulness of their Southeast Juvenile Courthouse. Existing courtrooms were small and no longer appropriate for use for either delinquency or dependency cases. The solution not only enlarged the courtrooms but purposefully engenders a less intimidating environment. The judge is still positioned on a raised platform but much lower than typical.

The overall layout was inspired by the idea of the restorative justice circle or Native American conversational circle and allows the judicial officer to set an individual tone for each proceeding – either more formal by remaining on the bench or much less formal by moving down from their perch to join the conversation in the round. Courts have commented that these new courtrooms form a “paradigm shift” for them and how they operated moving forward.