Judges Issue a Progress Report on Community-Focused Courts

Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin
Stockton Branch, Administration
222 E. Weber Avenue, Room 303
Stockton, CA 95202

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact:	Leanne Kozak, PIO
Date: 9/27/01		Voice: (209) 468-8120
		Pager: (209) 982-8528

NEWS RELEASE

What: Public meeting and workshop with community leaders

When: Tuesday, October 2, 2001 6:00pm - 8:30pm (Q&A: 8:30pm - ?)

Where: Anderson Hall President's Room, University of the Pacific, Stockton

Members of the Community-Focused Planning Team reported on progress to date on community outreach in San Joaquin County. They responded specifically to the critical issues identified by focus groups and key community leaders in 1999, including:

Jury service - assessment and improvements.
Race, culture, gender and language challenges.
Communicating with the public more effectively.
Enhancing youth understanding of the justice system.

In spirited workshop sessions, attendees evaluated and commented on a wide range of future goals, including:

Children in the courthouse	Establishing a Self-Help Center
Diversity training	Establishing a Family Law Center
Expanding traffic/small claims court hours	Raising compensation for jurors