MARIN CARES
Help Marin Residents Find Guidance and Resources with Marin Community Court.
Every month the dining room at the St. Vincent De Paul
Society of Marin is transformed into a working courtroom known as the
Marin Community Court. The second Tuesday of each month is reserved for
helping disadvantaged Marin residents become more self-sufficient and rise
above the citations that drastically impact their lives.
Marin County Superior Court Judge Beverly
Wood presides over official court proceedings.
Dedicated volunteers screen, counsel and advocate for participants in
preparation for the moment they are called before Judge Wood (herself a
volunteer along with the Clerk and the Bailiff).
April 8, 2014 marks the 3 year
anniversary of the Marin Community Court — and to keep this Heart of Marin Award-winning
court going—we need your help! Please donate today!ABOUT MARIN COMMUNITY COURT
The Marin Community Court is a partnership of Legal Aid of Marin, the St. Vincent DePaul Society of Marin County and the Marin County
Superior Court. It was created to help “…disadvantaged
defendants with minor offenses, who are often homeless and frequently mentally
or physically disabled, . . . successfully
resolve their cases in the court system while also connecting with much-needed
social services, medical treatment, rehabilitation services and job seeking
assistance.” – Court Executive Officer for Marin County Superior Court, Kim Turner. The Marin Community Court is a local and
accessible Court targeted at a population vulnerable to “quality of life
tickets” “lifestyle infractions” and other similar citations.
THE COURT ADDRESSES EVERYDAY PROBLEMSThese citations include sleeping in a parked vehicle or
outside in a park. Marin County has very
few permanent shelter beds for the county’s homeless and at-risk-of-being
homeless population. The Marin Community Court attempts to
address the laws that fine individuals that are poor. The court also addresses minor traffic
tickets. Traffic tickets can push an
already indigent person into homelessness.
We
had one case of a woman who had a suspended license due to an old ticket for
not having insurance and registration. The Community Court judge ordered her to
bring proof of insurance and registration; she did, and got her ticket zeroed
out, and her license reinstated.
WHO MARIN COMMUNITY COURT HELPS
The people served at Marin
Community Court do not have the money to pay the fines or enough personal
stability to deal with the adverse consequences of these minor legal violations.
Instead, they are ordered to perform
activities such as job searching, drug or alcohol treatment, education
offerings and/or community service. The
objective of the sentence is to reduce recidivism and get participants on the
path to self-sufficiency and stability.
"Social workers, attorneys, and the Court all come together to help
individuals take the needed steps to resolve their past legal troubles and
better their future, helping both the participant and bettering our
community." – Matthew Briggs, Volunteer Attorney
Photo: Dede Teeler, Legal Aid of Marin Community Court Coordinator; George
Shea, Marin Community Court Volunteer Attorney; and Paul Cohen,
Executive Director of Legal Aid of Marin
MARIN COMMUNITY COURT SUCCESSES
In the last three years of the Marin Community Court, we have seen hundreds of successes. “A number of defendants have improved their
personal situations by gaining housing, getting jobs and maintaining sobriety
because of the level of monitoring and personal support provided to them by the
Marin Community Court team.Not only
is this a benefit for defendants, it can also be a big win for the community as
these defendants find their way off the streets and into supportive and
productive living situations.” – Kim Turner, Court Executive Officer for Marin County Superior Court
The court sessions are possible because a lot of screening
and activity happens behind the scenes before and after each session of the Marin Community Court. We need your help in supporting this work. It takes about 30 staff hours per week to maintain
the program at its current level and Legal Aid of Marin needs to provide administrative staff time dedicated to this program. We want to keep this program going into the
future which will only be possible with your support. Your donations will help keep the Marin Community Court a viable and
permanent part of our community. Help
show that #MarinCares. Please
Donate Today!
As it says on the wall of Marin Community Court...
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -Winston Churchill
Thank you for giving!
Please use hashtag #MarinCares when sharing on social media!