Justice center improvements for Spanish-speaking community benefit all, task force says

Less than a year after a task force identified ways the Larimer County Justice Center could better serve the Spanish-speaking community, they're already seeing positive results — for Spanish-speakers and the community as a whole.

The justice center — while perhaps most commonly known as the place where criminal court proceedings are held — also offers a variety of services for cases involving divorces, protection orders, child custody, small claims, money and civil matters.

Eighth Judicial District Chief Judge Susan Blanco said the justice center is "a community partner," and "the more that people understand about what's happening here, the better it is for the community."

The Latinx Task Force was formed after listening sessions revealed Larimer County's Latino community didn't feel the Larimer County Justice Center, 201 Laporte Ave., and its services were accessible to them.

Blanco said it "really bothered" her that a large portion of the community felt the justice system and the building wasn't accessible for them.

The task force included Blanco, 8th Judicial Judge Juan Villaseñor, Larimer County Department of Health and Environment Health Equity Coordinator Sergio Torres and people from Colorado State University and other community organizations, Blanco said.

The task force members identified several areas where access could be improved for Spanish-speakers and the general public, including expanded access to the court resource center located in the justice center and more clarity around criminal advisements and the requirements of probation sentences.

Changes have been implemented in the last year to improve those areas identified by the task force, and the positive impact is already noticeable, task force members told the Coloradoan. The increased access to the court resource center's services, for example, has allowed them to assist more than 200 Spanish-speaking individuals in 2022, more than three times the number of Spanish-speakers helped in 2021. 

“When these services are improved, other communities benefit as well,” Torres said. “... It’s great to see the work is getting started.”

Here's more on what changes and improvements have been made because of the task force, and what the members are looking to tackle next:

How access to court resource center was improved

The problem: The court resource center, located on the first floor of the justice center, provides walk-in services to help people with civil court cases when they are representing themselves without an attorney, said Ian Bonner, a self-represented litigant coordinator, also called a "Sherlock."

The task force determined that many people were afraid to come into the justice center for a variety of reasons — questions like would they need an ID to access services, would they be arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, did they have a warrant out for their arrest? Identification isn't required to get help from the court resource center, Bonner said, and Blanco said there is no ICE presence in the justice center.

But because of these fears and misconceptions, people seeking help with getting a protection order or filing for a divorce from an abusive partner weren't going to the justice center to do so, Blanco said.

The solution: The court resource center expanded its reach out into the community, allowing people to access help from the center without physically coming into the justice center.

The center added a second, part-time position, allowing one staff member to stay and operate the office in the justice center while the other went out into the community to give presentations about what they do and offer services at community events, including resource fairs at a senior center or free legal self-help clinics within the Poudre River Public Library District, Bonner said.

At the self-help clinic, people can make an appointment to meet with an attorney for 15 minutes to get legal advice and then come to Bonner — who is proficient in Spanish — and get help with the forms the attorney mentioned. Bonner said sometimes people show up without an appointment with the attorney, but he ends up being able to help them, even without being able to offer legal advice.

The resource center has also created a QR code so people can call into the center on a Webex line instead of coming to the justice center in person. This allows people easier access to the resource center whether they are comfortable coming into the justice center or not, Bonner said.

In 2018, the court resource center helped five non-English speakers. That grew to 65 in 2021 and "exploded" to 220 in 2022, Bonner said, with people primarily seeking assistance related to divorce.

“My hope at least is we are building trust in the community and more people who want to access help are learning that’s available,” Blanco said. “... It’s not resolved, but it’s getting better.”

Bonner said increased community engagement has also led to people learning they can safely come to the justice center. For those who come in person, the justice center has created a navigation desk just past security at the entrance to help people find the right offices or courtrooms, Blanco said.

How information about probation sentences was improved

The problem: Villaseñor said he would have Spainsh-speaking defendants coming through his courtroom, pleading guilty and receiving a probation sentence, but he was concerned they didn't fully understand what the sentence meant or what the requirements were.

Probation is not a familiar concept in all cultures, including in Mexico, said Villaseñor, who was born in Mexico and grew up there.

“I have a feeling they’re telling me they understand and I don’t think they do,” Villaseñor said.

Additionally, probation had very few therapists and treatment providers who spoke Spanish or who were familiar with Latinx culture, Blanco said.

“There was a real shortage, and still is, for people who are culturally competent and speak the language,” Blanco said.

The solution: A video was created, in English and Spanish, explaining probation and its requirements to show defendants before they are sentenced, Blanco said.

"We want people to succeed. We don’t want them to come back because they didn’t understand what their sentence was," Villaseñor said.

Finding Spanish-speaking, culturally competent treatment providers isn't as easy, Blanco said. The justice center has partnered with Colorado State University to have social work graduate students who speak Spanish intern with the probation department, and Blanco said she hopes at least some of those students will want to continue doing this work after graduation.

“It’s not something you can solve overnight … and I’m hoping with time, people will be doing this and want to stay,” Blanco said.

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How the advisement process after arrest was improved

The problem: Prior to a person's first appearance in front of a judge after being arrested, they watch a video or read a piece of paper advising them of their rights.

The video was about 10 minutes long and full of legal jargon, Villaseñor said, making it hard to follow and understand. The video was only in English and had been dubbed over in Spanish.

The solution: A new 5-minute video was recorded — one by Villaseñor in Spanish and another judicial officer in English — in plain language with limited legal jargon, with the hope that all defendants will be able to better understand the video. Court interpreters and CSU linguists helped ensure that the translation was accurate and included all the legally required information, Blanco said.

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What's next for the Latinx Task Force?

The task force is in a lull as of spring 2023, Blanco said. The next larger project it has identified is helping jurors identify and acknowledge implicit biases, which is something Blanco said the U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering, so the task force has decided to wait on their ruling before tackling the issue locally.

In the meantime, Blanco said she hopes to continue working with CSU to bring interns into the justice center.

Torres said he believes the task force can continue to bring in new voices and perspectives to identify other areas of improvement within the justice system as a whole.

Villaseñor said continuing to give talks and presentations to the community in Spanish will continue to build collaborative relationships and trust between the Spanish-speaking community and the justice system.

Bonner also hopes to continue building relationships with the Spanish-speaking community through community partners and continue doing presentations for those interested — like he said he's done for the Poudre River Public Library District, La Familia and Fuerza Latina — to help make the justice center and system more accessible.

How to contact the 8th Judicial District Court Resource Center

• In-person or via WebEx: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday
• Phone: 970-494-3581
• Email: 08CourtResourceCenter@judicial.state.co.us