Coolidge Court LAP, Page lof8 COOLIDGE MUNICIPALCOURT (seei instruction 1) 2 3 4 6 Language. Access Plan (LAP) 5 I. Legal Basis and Purpose (see instruction 1) 7 This document seryes as thej plan for the Coolidge Court with limited toj provide toj persons 8 English proficiency (LEP) serviçes that are in compliance with Title VI oft the Civil Rights Act 9 of1964 (42. U.S.C, 2000d et seq.; 45 C.F.R. $80.1 et seq.; and 28 C.F.R. $ 42,101-42.112). The 10 purpose oft this plan ist to provide ai framework for the provision oft timely and reasonable 11 language assistance tol LEP persons who come in contact with the Coolidge Court. 12 13 This language access plan (LAP) was developed to ensure: meaningful access to court services 14 for persons with limited English proficiency. Although court interpreters are proyided for 15 persons with al hearing loss, access services for them are covered under the Americans with 16 Disabilities Act rather than Title VIoft the Civil Rights Act, and therefore will not be addressed 17 ini this plan. 18 20 21 19 II, Needs Assessment A, Statewide 22 23 The State of Arizona provides court services to a wide range ofpeople, including those who 24 speak limited or no. English. From a statewide perspective, thei following languages werel listed 25 with the greatest number ofs speakers who spoke English less than "Very Well"in Arizona 26 (according to the. American Community Survey estimate: report from the U.S. Census Bureau 27 dated April 2014): 1.Spanish 2. Navajo 3, Chinese 4, Vietnamese 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 B. Coolidge Court (see instruction 2) 35 36 The Coolidge Court is responsible.tol provide services identified in this plan to alll LEP persons. 37 However, thei following list shows the foreign languages that are most frequently used int this 38 court's geographic area, 39 40 1. Spanish 41 42 Thisi information is based on data collected from requested services over the past two years of 43 Coolidge Municipal Court, 44 Rev, 10/2016 Coolidge Court LAP, Page 2of8 45 mI. Language Assistance Resources 46 47 48 49 A. Interpreters Used in the Courtroom 1, Providing Interpreters in the Courtroom (see instruction 3) 50 51 In the Coolidge Court, court interpreters willl be provided in all courtroom proceedings at no çost 52 to alll LEP witnesses; litigants; victims; parents, guardians, and family members ofminor 53 witnesses, victims, and/or litigants; as well as any other person whose presence or participation is 55 56 It is the responsibility oft the private attorney, Public Defender or County Attorney to provide 57 qualified interpretation and translation serviçes for witness interviews, pre-trial transcriptions 58 and translations and attorney/client communications during out ofcourt proçeedings. 54 necessary or appropriate as determined by the judicial officer, 59 60 61 2, Determining the Need for an Interpreter in the Courtroom 62 The Coolidge Court may determine whether a court customer has limited English proficiency, 63 Identification ofl language needs at the earliest point of contact is highly recommended. The need 64 for acourt interpreter may bei identified prior to a court proçeeding by the LEP person or on the 65 LEP person's behalf! by counter staff, self-help center staff, family court services, or outside 66 justice partners such as attorneys or correctional facilities. (see instruction 3). Courts should have 67 a documented process toi identify LEP needs for parties with notation int thej physical or 68 electronic case file. 69 services are available also help 70 Signage throughout the court building indicating interpreter 72 lobby, front door, court door, (see instruction 4). may 71 toi identify LEP individuals. The Coolidge Court will display this sign at the following locations: 74 73 The need: for an interpreter also may be made known int the courtroom at the time oft the 75 proceeding. In a case where the court is mandated toj provide an interpreter, but one ist not 76 available at the time oft thej proceeding, even after the court has made all reasonable efforts to 77 locate one, as previously outlined in this plan, the case willl be postponed and continued on a date 78 when an interpreter can be provided. 79 80 81 3. AOC Interpretation Resources 82 Court Interpreter Registry and Listserv 83 The. AOC maintains a statewidei roster ofindividuals who indicate they have interpreting 84 experience and have expressed interest in working int the courts. The court using interpreting 85 services will determine the competence oft the persons listed, This roster is available to court 87 88 Additionally, AOC created a statewido listserv to allow courts to communicate via email on 86 staff on the Internet at bNtpECAeNe Rev. 10/2016 Coolidge Court LAP, Page 3of8 matters, The listsery is an excellent resource tol locate referrals for 89 court interpreter-related needs, Access codes andi instructions toj join the listserv, may be obtained from 90 specific language 91 the AOC language access contact person. 93 Video Remote. Interpreting conferencing 94 The AOCI has installed video 92 at the State Courts building that will allow equipment from the Phoenix metro 95 courts with compatible technology to remotely conference an interpreter 96 area or from another çourtj jurisdiction into their court toi improve resourçe allocation and 97 time and costs associated with intérpreter travel, Contact the AOCLAP contact for more 98 information on VRI connectivity and cheoklist for court proceedings most appropriate for video, reduce 99 100 101 B. Language Services Outside the Courtroom Court is also responsible for taking reasonable steps to ensuret that LEP indiyiduals 102 The have Coolidge meaningful access to all court services and programs outside the courtroom, Court serviçes 103 104 and programs include but are: not limited to self-help centers, clerk offices, intake officers, 105 cashiers, and records room, 106 107 1. Assistarice to Understand Court Procedures and Policies 108 109 Services offered by the çourt generally tol English-speaking customers pursuant to the 110 Employee Code of Conduct (ACJA $1-303) must also be provided to! LEP litigants in their 111 language. 112 113 2. Assistance tol Fill-out Court Forms and Pleadings 114 Coolidge Court will assisti in the filling-out ofcourt forms for thosel LEP court customers 115 who are unable to do sO either by themselves or with the assistance of another competent 116 adult proficient inl English and able. to. render assistance in at timely manner, (see 117 instruction 5) 118 119 3, Court-ordered Serviçes and Programs 120 121 The court also isi responsible for taking reasonable steps to ensure that LEP individuals have 122 meaningful access to all court-ordered services and programs, Court-ordered services and 123 program include buti is not limited to conciliation, mediation, arbitration, treatment or 124 educational programs provided by a court employee or a private vendor under contract with the 125 court. Contracts with yendors that provide direct services to court users must include the 126 requirement that the vendor provide language services, includingi interpreters, for all LEP 128 129 The court uses the following resourcest to facilitate communication with LEP individuals and 127 individuals. (see instruction 6) 130 court staff or providers of court-ordered services: (see instruction 7) 131 132 Staff court interpreters or independent interpreter contractors; Rev, 10/2016 Coolidge Court LAP, Page4of8 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 Bilingual employees; Bilingual volunteers; "IS Speak" cards, to identify the individual's primary language; Written information in Spanish on! how to access and navigate the çourt; Multilingual signage throughout courthouse locations int the following languages: Telephonic interpreter services, (from çontract interpreters or an agency); and, Ap public court phone line with key instructions provided in Spanish to request court Thei terms oft the court's contracts with providers of court-orleredservices. Front counter, lobby, courtroom. serviçes, Video remote interpreting services (where available) 144 145 Toj provide linguistically accessible. services for) LEP individuals, the Coolidge Court provides 146 the: following: 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162, 163 For face to face encounters, as well as telephone conversations, the Coolidge Municipal Court uses the Language line when on-site interpreters are: not available. When the court staff does not know the language a customer is speaking, they use "I Speak"cards, which are available in many languages. Bilingual employees in the following language: Spanish Written informational and educational materials andi instructions in Spanish Website link from court's website (if applicable) to the Supreme Court's Spanish translated webpage for court: forms and instructions and other language acçess related resources such as the courts' lap and complaint form and process should be made Staff who have some knowledge of another. language but need help with court a, Spanish/Bnglish glossary oni the AOCself-help Web Site, MaplappsaAewowucwucMUCautlaspsts.htn available online. terminology may consult the: following glossary sources. C. Court Appointed or Supervised. Personnel 164 165 The Coolidge Court also shall ensuret that court appointed or supervised personnel, including but 166 not limited to child advocates, guardians ad litem, court psychologists and doctors provide 167 language services, including interpreters as part of their service delivery system to LEP 168 individuals, (see instruction 8) 169 170 D, Translated Forms and Documents 171 172 The Arizona courts understand the importance oft translating forms and documents $01 that LEP 173' individuals. haye greater access to the courts' services. The Coolidge Court currently uses forms 174 and instructional materials translated into Spanish. 175 Rev. 10/2016 Coolidge Court LAP, Page 5of8 176 179 '180 181 182 183 186 187 188 191 192 193 194 195 196 198 199 200 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 212. 213 214 215 217 The court has translated various vital documents into other languages (see instruction 9): 177 Financial statement, Protective Order) Petition, and Language. Access to Court Services 178 Complaint Form. These documents will be located with counter staff 1, SightTranslation 184 The court will provide assistance sO LEP persons may understand court-issued documents 185 provided in English through sight translation or other reasonable means. (seei instruction 10) E. Website/Online Access 189 Ifthe court operates an Internet website, it will ensure the website is accessible to LEP persons 190 and will include, at ai minimum: (see instruction 11) Anotice about the availability of language services written in Spanish and posted on the Ahyperlink to: Arizona Supreme Court's Spanish-translated webpage at sNNNewN home page. 197 IV. Court Staff and Volunteer Recruitment (see instruction 12) A. Recruitment ofBilingual Staff for) Language Access 201 The Coolidge Court is an equal opportunity employer andi recruits and] hires bilingual staffto 202 servei its LEP constituents. Primary examples include but are not limited to: Court interpreters to serye as regular full-time or part-time employees or regular Bilingual staff to serve at public counters and oT self-help centers; and Bilingual staff available on call to assist with contacts from LEP indiyiduals, as needed. B, Recruitment ofVolunteers forLanguage Access interpreter contractors of the court. 211 The court also recruits and uses volunteers to assist with language access in thei following areas: Ins self-help centers, to assist LEP users; Atp public counters toj provide interpretive services between staff and thel LEP public 216 V. Judicial and StaffTraining (seei instruction 13): 218 The Coolidge Court is committed toj proyiding language access training opportunities for all 219 judicial offiçers and staffi members. Training and learning opportunities currently offered will be Rev. 10/2016 - Coolidge Court LAP, Page 6of8 220 expanded or çontinued as needed. Those opportunities include: 221 222. 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 234 235 236 Interpreter coordinator training; Diversity Training; Cultural competency training; LAP training; Staff attendance in Spanish training, provided by the court inj partnership with Iocal colleges and institutionst to offer these classes on site and free to employees on court time, Judicial officer orientation on the use ofcourt interpreters and! language competency, orth through tuition reimbursement, New employee orientation training; and, AOC'sLanguage Access in the Courtroom Training DVD AOC'sLanguage. Access Online Training Videos 233 VI. Public Outreach and Education (see instruction 14) A, General 237 To communicate with the court'sLEP constituents on various legal issues ofimportance to the 238 community and toi make them aware of services available to all language speakers, the Coolidge 239 Court will provide community outreach and education and seeks input: from its LEP 240 constituency to: further improve serviçes, when the opportunity arises to address public groups 241 through meetings or press releases. 242, 243 244 245 246 249 252 B. Videos, Webinars, On-line Classes, In-person Classes and Other Similar Instructional Methods 247 New public-facing videos designed to assist litigants or thej public more broadly shall bei in 250 Those videos, webinars, and instructional materials currently in existence which are deemed to 253 The court will determine whether any existing videos, webinars, and instructional materials 254 should ber made available in languages other than English and Spanish by considering the 248 English and Spanish. 251 be "vital"s shall bei made available in Spanish. 255 Department of] Justice's four-factor analysis, (seei instruction 15) 257 VII. Formal Complaint. Process (see instruction 16) 256 258 259 Ifan LEP court customer believes meaningful access to the courts was not provided to them, 260 they may choose to file a complaint with thei trial court's Language Access Plan Coordinator, 261 The court will develop a complaint process thati includes at ai minimum, the: following 262 information: 263 The court will: respond to any complaint within 30 days and the records willl be Rev. 10/2016 Coolidge Court LAP, Page7of8 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 276 277 maintained as public records, The complaint may be filed as follows: Forms posted on Court's website Hard copy forms available at front counter The Court has attached the complaint form Bnglish/Spanish) to thel LAP. Int the alternative, the complaint forms may be located at front counter The court will ensure that translated versions oft the complaint form are available in multiple locations, including, but not limited to: Forms posted on the court's websito and Hard copy forms available at the çounters, 275 VIII, Public Notification and Evaluation OfLAP A, LAP Approval and Notification 278 279 The Coolidge Court'sLAP: is approved by the presiding, judge and court executive officer, Upon 280 approval, please forward a copy to the AOC Court Serviçes Division. Any revisions to the plan 281 will be submitted to the presiding judge and court executive offiçer for approval, and then 282. forwarded to the AOC. Copies of Coolidge Court's LAP will be provided to the publiç on 283 request. 284 285 286 289 B. Evaluation oft thel LAP. 287 The Coolidge Court will routinely assess whether. changes to the LAP are needed. The plan may 288 be changed or updated at any time but reviewed not less frequently than once a; year. 290 Every two year's the court's) Language, Access Plan Coordinator will review the effectiveness of 291 the court's LAP and update it as necessary. The evaluation will include identification ofa any 292. problem areas and developmént of corrective action strategies. From timet to time, the court may 293 consider using a survey sampling ofdata collection for a limited time perior which involyes 294 assessing language access requests to assist int the evaluation oft the LAP. 295 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 296 Elements of the evaluation will include: Number ofLEP persons requesting materials should be provided; and how to carry them out; Assessment of current language needs to determine ifadditional seryices or translated Solicitation and review off feedback from LEP communities within the county; Assessment ofwhether court staff adequately understand LEP policies and procedures Review of feedback from court employee training sessions; and, Customer satisfaction feedback as indicated on1 the access and fairness survey, if administered by the çourt during this time period. Review any language access complaints received during this time period. Rev. 10/2016 Coolidge Court LAP, Page 8of8 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 C.Trial Court Language. Access Plan Coordinator: Elisa "Georgie" Garcia Judge 110 West Central Ave. Coolidge, AZ. 85128 620)/25-6031,ggarcia@colidgea.com D.AOCLanguage. Access Contact: David Svoboda Court Services Division Administrative Office oft the Courts 1501 W. Washington: Street, Suite 410 Phoenix, AZ 85007 (602)452-3965, syobolacourisazgow E.LAPI Effectiye date: December 01,2023 F.Approved by: Presiding Judge: Court Executive Officer: All IMAN Date: B-FB Fisa"ebrgl'Garia Date: Rev. 10/2016 (Couth Name) Language Access to Court Services Complaint Form The court may be required lop providel Interpreters atr noo costf ford court users, Includingl tiganis, victims, andy witnesses who dor nols speak English as their primary! language andv whol have al limited abilityt to read, speak, write or understand English, lfyoul belleve youl have not been providede effeclivel language assistancef fora any courto or probationp procgedingorother: service provided! by thec court, please complete thisf forms andr returni itt to:. (Address of Cou!) The submission ofa a complaint w! NOTE affect the outcome of any cout matter, THIS FORMIS ISAVAILABLEIN OTHER LANGUAGES UPONF REQUEST. The court will address) your concerns wilthin an reasonable lime nofe exceeding 30 days affers subm/ssion off thist form, PLEASE COMPLETE: Today's Date:. First Name: Address: Home Telephone:( Email Address; Primary! Language: Date of Incident: Last! Name; Cily/Slate/Zip:, Mobile Phone:( What problem didy youl have withl language assistance? a The court didi not proylde an Interpreter D Other- please describe; D Thel nterpreter didr not Interpret correclly or didi nots speak myl language Section 601 of" Tite Vioft the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42U.S.C. 2000ds slates that" "No person! In the United Slates shall, ont the ground ofr race, color, or natlonal orlgin, be excludedt from participationi in, be denledt thet benefits of, or bes subjected to discrimination under any program ora aclivityr recelving federal fnancial assistance." Page e1of1 AOCGNGF1F