Mission:

The Justice Center Task Force seeks to cause the building of a new justice center in Marion County that will allow for safe, efficient, economical, and dignified administration of justice. The Task Force will work towards this end through its Campaign For a Safe and Adequate Justice Center. The Campaign will seek to cause local decision-makers to support and act on this important issue.

The City-County Building was planned in 1953 and dedicated in 1963.

In 1960, the city of Indianapolis was home to 476,000 residents surrounded by mostly rural areas. Today the metropolitan area houses more than 1.6 million.

Plans for the City-County Building were drawn 50 years ago with the main focus of the building to be office space.

Crime has unfortunately increased substantially (averaging approximately 30,000 serious reported crimes annually by IPD alone). Litigants are no longer always predictable or reasonable, and building security concerns are paramount.

Today there are 32 courts squeezed into an antiquated office building originally designed for 20 courts, an increase of 129%.

More than 60 judicial officers are attempting to manage more than 240,000 new cases filed each year, including nearly 3,000 major felonies annually and almost 40,000 total criminal cases annually. This work is conducted in makeshift space posing a safety risk to litigants, witnesses, family members, court staff, and the public at large.

Chain gangs walk the same hallways as witnesses, jurors and children and often only one police deputy is available to walk down the halls with the prisoners.

Some of the courtroom spaces place defendant, plaintiff, attorneys, judge and witnesses all within arms length of each other.

The major drug court, administrative offices and deliberating room are controlled by one light switch.