Some people arrested for low-level drug crimes in Kensington now may be eligible for expedited court hearings and immediate treatment referrals.
The new Kensington Neighborhood Wellness Court and Wellness Support Center aims to help the 800 people with substance use disorders living on the streets of Kensington — a vast open air drug market — while improving the quality of life for neighborhood residents, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said Tuesday at a press conference.
Mayor Cherelle Parker signed an executive order Tuesday that allows police to issue summary citations – the least serious criminal charge – to people using drugs on the streets of Kensington. Anyone who is cited then will receive a medical and mental health assessment, be offered diversion to treatment and see a judge on the same day. Any outstanding bench warrants will be assessed and possibly revoked, said Adam Geer, the city's chief public safety officer.
This process will happen at the new Kensington Neighborhood Wellness Court and Wellness Support Center, located inside the 24th and 25th districts' police station at 3901 Whitaker Ave. For now, it will only be open on Wednesdays as part of a pilot program.
People arrested for open-air drug use in Kensington on other days of the week will not have access to the neighborhood court's expedited process. A citywide police assisted diversion program has been running since 2023 with the goal of diverting people arrested for low-level drug crimes, retail theft and prostitution to housing, treatment and other services.
The neighborhood court and support center are the "front end" of a "wellness ecosystem" Parker has been building since taking office last year. It includes recovery housing in Holmesburg for people coming out of inpatient drug treatment programs, a 180-bed shelter in Fairmount for people who are homeless and have substance use disorders, and a mental health walk-in crisis clinic.
The Parker administration also has increased police presence in Kensington, enforced encampment sweeps in the neighborhood and taken aim at harm reduction organizations – for instance, the city rescinded nearly $1 million in funding from a behavioral health provider's syringe exchange program. A bill to restrict mobile outreach services in Kensington is on Thursday's agenda for City Council.
"The Kensington Wellness Support Center and wellness court … are part of our comprehensive strategy to ensure and improve the quality of life and no longer attempt to normalize the challenges that exist here, and again, continue walking by, closing our eyes very tight, trying to wish what we see in front of our very eyes away," Parker said.
"We're reducing the impact of criminal justice involvement … so people can quickly get help and see a judge without spending hours, days or even weeks in a jail cell waiting for their case to move," Parker added.
Behavioral health providers from Merakey and the Penn Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy will help assess people coming to the neighborhood court, Geer said.
When the Kensington court was announced in the fall, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Parker and Geer, citing concerns about constitutional implications of the city's plans.
"Any decision to issue a citation under these circumstances would not be based on a prosecutorial determination of what charges can be supported by evidence, but rather based on the perceived convenience and expediency of the NWC (neighborhood wellness court) process being created for the Kensington neighborhood alone," the ACLU letter said. "The program is set to skirt due process protections for those who receive summary citations in Kensington."
The Abolitionist Law Center, Homeless Advocacy Project, AIDS Law Project of Philadelphia, Public Interest Law Center and other organizations and individuals signed the Dec. 17 letter.
People brought to the neighborhood court would have legal representation, Geer said.
"Existing resources" within the city budget, and resources from partners on the project, will fund the neighborhood court for the time being, Geer said.
City administrators did not immediately respond to requests for further details.
