Outreach Program Lifts Barriers to Legal System

Los Angeles Times ^ | 02-06-2004 | Anna Gorman

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Outreach Program Lifts Barriers to Legal System

Mobile clinics, translated documents and bilingual child care help ease the anxieties of Latinos intimidated by the courts.

By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer

Spanish speakers in Ventura County can hear radio tips about how to handle traffic tickets and small claims cases. In Fresno County, they can attend Spanish-language clinics on divorce and rental disputes. And throughout California, they can download child custody forms in Spanish.

Superior Courts around the state are working to make the justice system more accessible by reaching out to Spanish speakers, many of whom do not have lawyers or any legal experience. Mobile law clinics, document translation and bilingual child care are among the new programs.

As a result, judges say, more Latinos solve their family and housing disputes in court rather than on their front doorsteps. They feel less intimidated, and they arrive in court more knowledgeable about their rights and obligations.

"The Spanish-speaking community in California is enormous and growing every day," said Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon. Without services tailored to them, Sanchez-Gordon said, there is mass confusion and desperation. Those who turn to the courts for help can leave frustrated and reluctant to return.

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To get the word out about the new services, Fresno County court officials distribute literature and advertise in Spanish-language media.

Ventura County has also used the Spanish-language press to reach Latino residents. Raquel Sandoval, a court processing clerk, said her parents were field laborers and frequently listened to the radio as they took breaks. She persuaded a Spanish-language radio station in Oxnard to air public-service announcements about the justice system.

Sandoval calls the station every weekday morning at 10:30 to share tips about maneuvering through the legal system.

In a recent tip of the day, she warned court visitors to arrive early and allow extra time to pass through the metal detectors. She also provided information about Ventura County's self-help court center geared toward helping Spanish speakers, announcing when it is open and where it is located.

"A lot of people don't know even where to start when they have a problem," she said. "Even though it's something we cannot help them 100% … we can direct them."