Homeless Courts

Of Current Interest

Alameda County Creates Special Court Sessions for Homeless (06/2005) (PDF, 35 KB)
The Superior Court of California, County of Alameda has successfully held five Homeless/Caring Court sessions since its inception in October of 2004. Due to court-community collaboration efforts between the Superior Court, the Alameda Countywide Homeless Continuum of Care Council, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, the Alameda County Public Defender's Office, and several other homeless service provider agencies and shelters, the Homeless/Caring Court has been able to assist 105 homeless individuals in the Berkeley and Oakland areas.

Homeless Court Works to Help Such People (PDF, 121 KB)
A local ABC network affiliate recently covered the successful San Diego Homeless Court. The idea of this homeless court and others like it is to help the homeless clear misdemeanor offenses from their record that, if left unresolved, can make them ineligible for government aid or driver's licenses - a major barrier to a normal life.

Taking It to the Shelter - Court News Article (10/2004) (PDF, 87 KB)
Joe is trying to build a life for himself, one day at a time. And today he is clean and sober and can walk on San Diego's streets without fear of incarceration, thanks to the Superior Court of San Diego County's Homeless Court Program. The program enables homeless defendants to clear up minor infractions and misdemeanors without going to a courthouse risking arrest.

San Diego Homeless Court Receives National Recognition (04/2004)
Homeless Court Program, a visionary effort that helps homeless defendants resolve outstanding misdemeanor criminal cases has been named one of 15 finalists for the highly esteemed Innovations in Government Award, a program of the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. The award is administered in partnership with the Council for Excellence in Government. The program is now eligible to win $100,000 in what is often referred to as "the Oscars" of government award programs (see press release ). For more information please contact Steve Binder, San Diego County Public Defender's Office (619) 338-4708

What are Homeless Courts?

Homeless courts are special court sessions held in a local shelter or other community site designed for homeless citizens to resolve outstanding misdemeanor criminal warrants (principally "quality-of-life" infractions such as unauthorized removal of a shopping cart, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, and sleeping on a sidewalk or on the beach). Resolution of outstanding warrants not only meets a fundamental need of homeless people but also eases court case-processing backlogs and reduces vagrancy. Homeless people tend to be fearful of attending court, yet their outstanding warrants limit their reintegration into society, deterring them from using social services and impeding their access to employment. They are effectively blocked from obtaining driver's licenses, job applications, and rental agreements.

In 1999 the first homeless court was established as an outgrowth of San Diego's Veterans' Stand-Down Program. That program annually offers services to the homeless, the majority of whom are veterans. The San Diego Homeless Court meets monthly, alternately at Saint Vincent de Paul (San Diego's largest homeless shelter) and the Vietnam Veterans of San Diego Shelter.

Los Angeles started its homeless court in November 2000. This court is designed on a model similar to the court in San Diego, with court sessions held at community facilities that serve the homeless, such as the Salvation Army. The court addresses quality-of-life offenses that have gone to warrant and provides sentencing, involving participation in treatment and community service, that can clear the offense. Courts in Alameda and Ventura Counties have also begun holding homeless court sessions. The Ventura Court's work was presented at the 2002 National Association for Court Management Conference.

Special court sessions held in the community by the Ventura court address outstanding cases and unique problems of criminally accused homeless individuals. This approach reduces the need for numerous hearings, saving court time and costs. These courts combine plea bargaining with alternative sentencing that substitutes counseling, volunteer work, and participation in agency programs for the traditional fines, public work service, and custody. Defendants are given credit for having entered a shelter, done volunteer work, or enrolled in Alcoholics Anonymous or other self-help and education programs.

The San Diego Homeless Court received initial federal funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) conducted an evaluation that noted over 700 cases (for 266 participants) were resolved between October 1999 and February 2001.

Resources

Reaching Out to Homeless Courts
The Collaborative Justice Courts Project started the Homeless Court Outreach Initiative with collaborative justice courts to enable similar courts to benefit from the experiences of their peers. The initiative gathered like-minded practitioners at a recent forum (PDF, 8 KB) to share their programs and case processing strategies. Homeless Courts Outreach Initiative (PDF, 8 KB)

SANDAG San Diego Homeless Court Program: A Process and Impact Evaluation, (2002) (PDF, 7,024 KB). Contact the San Diego Association of Governments at 619-595-5300 for more information.

National Stand-Down Conference Celebrates the Past, With Eye on the Future, held July 6-17, 2002 in San Diego, California