Performance of the District Courts

Fiscal Year 2014 - 2015

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GOAL 1: TO ESTABLISH A MORE OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE SYSTEM OF JUSTICE


Objective

1.3 To give all who appear before the court reasonable opportunities to participate effectively without undue hardship or inconvenience.

Intent of the Objective

This objective focuses on how a district court should accommodate participants in its proceedings, especially those who have disabilities, difficulties communicating in English, or mental impairments. Courts can meet this objective by their efforts to comply with the “programmatic requirements” of the Americans with Disabilities Act and by the adoption of policies and procedures for determining the need for, and obtaining the services of, competent language interpreters.

Responses To Objective

  1. Actions taken in FY 2014-2015 to develop and maintain a policy or procedure to assist patrons with limited English proficiency.

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QuestionIdQuestionStatementResponse
857691189What actions, if any, did your court take in FY 2014-2015 to develop and maintain a policy or procedure to assist patrons with limited English proficiency?Actions taken in FY 2014-2015 to develop and maintain a policy or procedure to assist patrons with limited English proficiency.
(Hover on the chart for more information and click on the chart to see which courts chose that response.)
Actions taken in FY 2014-2015 to develop and maintain a policy or procedure to assist patrons with limited English proficiency.
Refresh Charts
Additional actions taken by the courts to address this objective
4th JDC
At a Department of Corrections Judges' Liaison Meeting, the court obtained information about the Louisiana Supreme Court video remote interpreter list for off-site/out-of-state interpreters. These interpreters may be used on an as-needed basis in lieu of finding a person who speaks a foreign language in the local area.
9th JDC
The 9th JDC volunteered its courtrooms for training sign language interpreters. This allowed interpreters to become more familiar with courtroom procedures and courtroom settings.
16th JDC
The 16th JDC reported that it provided language interpreters on an as-needed basis. The court maintained a list of language interpreters to provide language interpretation services in the following languages: Spanish, Laotian, Vietnamese, Mandarin (Chinese dialect), and Cantonese (Chinese dialect). The court located additional language interpreters and revised the list of available interpreters on an ongoing basis.

When interpreters were not available in conferences with hearing officers, the hearing officer made use of an overhead television and Google translating services to promote communication. Hearing-impaired individuals were allowed to bring family members and friends to act as interpreters during hearing officer conferences.
24th JDC
The 24th JDC, through the Jefferson Parish Community Justice Agency, provided interpreters for hearing-impaired individuals, and those with limited English proficiency, by selecting vendors through a competitive bidding process. The court also won a Byrne/JAG grant to install equipment to assist the hearing-impaired in all 16 court divisions.
26th JDC
The 26th JDC required all individuals who currently provide interpreter services, and all those seeking to provide interpreter services, to attend one of the regional Louisiana Court Interpreter Training Programs offered by the Louisiana Supreme Court. The 26th JDC also participated in the video remote interpreter grant through the Louisiana Supreme Court.
29th JDC
The court continued to employ a tri-lingual court employee to assist patrons with limited English proficiency.
39th JDC
The court reported that it used local interpreters.
Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court
The court continued to use telephone and/or video conferencing in lieu of court appearances. The court began investigating providing forms in Spanish for use in cases where self-representation is prevalent i.e. (Motion for Disclosure and Voluntary Transfer).
ResponseResponse_Court
Additional actions taken by the courts to address this objective8 courts (4th JDC, 9th JDC, 16th JDC, 24th JDC, 26th JDC, 29th JDC, 39th JDC, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court)
Adopted, maintained, or routinely administered an oath for language interpreters, such as the one provided in Appendix 5.1C of the Louisiana District Court Rules34 courts (1st JDC, 2nd JDC, 3rd JDC, 4th JDC, 6th JDC, 7th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 12th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 21st JDC, 23rd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 29th JDC, 30th JDC, 31st JDC, 32nd JDC, 33rd JDC, 34th JDC, 35th JDC, 36th JDC, 37th JDC, 38th JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court)
Continued to address this objective through the actions indicated below, or implemented the following new actions in FY 2014-2015 to address this objective as indicated below:46 courts (1st JDC, 2nd JDC, 3rd JDC, 4th JDC, 6th JDC, 7th JDC, 8th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 12th JDC, 13th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 19th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 23rd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 27th JDC, 28th JDC, 29th JDC, 30th JDC, 31st JDC, 32nd JDC, 33rd JDC, 34th JDC, 35th JDC, 36th JDC, 37th JDC, 38th JDC, 39th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court)
Developed or maintained a list of professional interpreters for non-English-speaking patrons37 courts (1st JDC, 2nd JDC, 3rd JDC, 4th JDC, 6th JDC, 7th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 12th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 19th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 23rd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 28th JDC, 29th JDC, 30th JDC, 31st JDC, 34th JDC, 35th JDC, 36th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court)
Did not address in FY 2014-20152 courts (5th JDC, 20th JDC)
Encouraged and/or required interpreters to abide by a code of professional responsibility such as the Louisiana Code of Professional Responsibility for Language Interpreters as found in Section 1, Part G, Section 14 of the General Administrative Rules for Louisiana Courts28 courts (1st JDC, 3rd JDC, 6th JDC, 7th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 12th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 18th JDC, 19th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 30th JDC, 31st JDC, 34th JDC, 36th JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court)
Installed or maintained signage regarding services to LEP persons4 courts (3rd JDC, 9th JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court)
Provided foreign language interpreter services when necessary45 courts (1st JDC, 2nd JDC, 3rd JDC, 4th JDC, 6th JDC, 7th JDC, 8th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 12th JDC, 13th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 19th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 23rd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 27th JDC, 28th JDC, 29th JDC, 30th JDC, 31st JDC, 32nd JDC, 33rd JDC, 34th JDC, 35th JDC, 36th JDC, 37th JDC, 38th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court)

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