2017 State of the Court

Interpreter Services On November 1, 2016, the Court expanded interpreter services to unlawful detainer cases court-wide for all languages. With this expansion, court interpreters are provided in the following case types: criminal, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, traffic, child support, mental health, family law domestic violence protective orders, civil harassment, elder or dependent adult protective orders and unlawful detainers, with no cost to the parties. In addition to the expansion of services, interpreter coverage in Spanish and Vietnamese languages have increased and accommodations for same day requests have improved court-wide in all case types. Self-Help Resource Center

The Self-Help Resource Center now serves: San Bernardino (two locations), Fontana, Victorville, Barstow, Joshua Tree, Needles, and the Rancho Cucamonga Branch of the County Law Library. On a first-come, first-served basis, the public can receive practical legal information on family law, child support, guardianship, landlord-tenant, and small claims at no cost. Self-Help also offers several workshops to court customers throughout the year. These

workshops have received an overwhelming positive response from litigants and courtroom staff, with a noticeable improvement in case preparation and trial readiness for pro-per litigants. From May to September of 2017, 512 litigants attended these workshops throughout the County. Express Walk-up Windows Over the past year, three court locations have opened express walk-up windows allowing court customers to skip the security screening process by never entering the building. The Rancho Cucamonga courthouse opened its first express walk-up window for traffic matters in February of 2017. The Fontana courthouse began using its second express walk-up window in May of 2017, for small claims and unlawful detainers matters. And, in July of 2016, the Barstow courthouse opened two express walk-up windows for traffic and will expand to include small claims and landlord-tenant matters. Children’s Waiting Rooms

On September 6, 2016, the court opened waiting rooms for children at both the Historic Courthouse and San Bernardino Justice Center locations. Children’s Waiting Rooms (CWRs) receive funding from first paper civil filings fees that are already deposited into the Trial Court Trust Fund. These funds support a variety of programs, such as law libraries and the

judges’ retirement fund. The CWRs are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon, and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for children 2 ½ years old and up to 14 years of age. This free service is limited and provided on a first-come, first-served basis. During its first ten months of operation, the CWRs served over 1,100 children. CWRs will expand to other locations as funding allows.

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