Jun. Cnty. Pa. V
Click here to view image This judicial district provides interpreters for judicial proceedings in compliance with the rules and policies set forth in the Pennsylvania Interpreter Act and regulations, the AOPC Interpreter Certification Program regulations, and the Guidelines for the Procurement and Appointment of Interpreters issued by the AOPC. These policies require the District to provide court interpreters to all LEP and deaf or hard of hearing parties, victims, witnesses, and certain other persons for any civil or criminal proceeding.
204 Pa. Code §221.
See also Section V(A)(1), Language Services and How to Use Them/Oral Language Services/Interpreters at 10-13, and Section VIII(1) Qualification Requirements for Interpreters and Translators, at 33-35, respectively, of the LAP-UJS, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The District must provide an interpreter to deaf and hard of hearing court users whether parties to a case, witnesses, family members, or spectators. Interpreters are also provided to limited English proficient fiduciaries for a party; and a parent, guardian, or custodian of a minor or incapacitated person who is a party, victim, or witness.
Click here to view image The judicial district provides court users with the interpreter request and waiver forms available on the Interpreter Certification Program page of the UJS website.
Click here to view image We post interpreter request and waiver forms on our website.
This Plan hereby incorporates by reference the Bilingual Employee Policy issued by AOPC on September 28, 2018, and reissued as amended on December 20, 2018. The policy became effective on January 1, 2019.
Under the policy, current employees of the UJS who are bilingual and intend to continue to use their bilingual skills to assist limited English proficient and deaf and hard of hearing members of the public must be tested and achieve a passing score, as defined by the policy, by January 1, 2021. Employees hired after January 1, 2019, who intend to use their language skills to assist LEP and deaf and hard of hearing members of the public must be tested and achieve a passing score as defined by the policy before they can utilize their skills to assist members of the public.
This judicial district has taken the following steps to implement the Bilingual Employee Policy:
[] We have not taken the above-listed actions, but intend to complete each step by the following dates.
Click here to view image We do not have any bilingual employees. Therefore, we will utilize in-person interpreters where available and will utilize telephone interpreting in compliance with Section 104 of the Regulations pursuant to the Pennsylvania Interpreter Act.
See 204 Pa. Code ch. 221 §104.
This Plan hereby incorporates by reference the principles and translation protocol set forth in the AOPC Translation Policy & Procedures Manual of the Unified Judicial System.
Click here to view image This District has reviewed the UJS Translation Policy and Procedures Manual and follows the guidelines for high quality translation established therein.
[] This District plans to take the following steps explained in the Translation Manual to prioritize further translation work within the time periods specified:
[] Create a spreadsheet with an inventory of all district forms, documents, orders, signs, web content, etc. by [date].
[] Perform the two-step analysis of each writing set forth in the Translation Policy & Procedures Manual to determine if it is a vital document, with results listed in the spreadsheet by [date].
[] Assign each document to a priority group for translation by [date].
[] Create a tracking system to record translations by [date].
[] Translated forms currently available to court users in this District include the following (languages into which forms are translated and their location in the courthouse or on court website are indicated next to its name in parentheses):
_________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________[] Translated documents have been integrated in this judicial district's case management system in the following fashion:
[] The translations in the above list have been completed for the languages listed in Section IV above (top languages for which interpreters are most frequently requested in this judicial district) or should be completed by [date].
Click here to view image This judicial district uses the translated forms made available to the courts by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC).
http://www.pacourts.us/forms/bilingual-forms
While acknowledging that the counties in which judicial districts are located generally own the courthouse buildings and control signage, this judicial district has taken the following steps towards incorporating bilingual signage into its court buildings and has done the following to address translation of court websites:
Click here to view image We have incorporated bilingual or multilingual signage into our existing court buildings as follows:
We have put up the Right to Interpreter posters & put out the I Speak cards that were provided by AOPC. |
[] We have recently renovated court buildings and taken the opportunity to incorporate bilingual or multilingual signage into our renovated or new buildings as follows:
[] We are planning to include bilingual or multilingual signage in our buildings in this way by [Date]:
Click here to view image We have reviewed our court website with an eye to translating webpages in subject matter areas in which our judicial district experiences high LEP usage.
[] We have translated the following pages using qualified translators:
[] We intend to translate the following pages by [date] using qualified translators:
Click here to view image The judicial district has contracted with LanguageLine to provide telephone interpreting services, primarily for counter communication with LEP court users.
See, Section IX, Training, below. Judicial district employees have been trained in the appropriate use of telephone interpreting, and know that its best use is for brief encounters at the counter, rather than judicial proceedings, per Section 104 of the regulations pursuant to the Interpreter Act.
Click here to view image Instructions for contacting a telephone interpreter have been posted and distributed to all staff who interact with the public.
Language access requirements apply not only to judicial proceedings, but also to a wide range of services, programs, and activities outside the courtroom that are administered under the authority of the court, i.e., provided by or contracted for by the court.
See, Guidance on Services beyond the Courtroom provided to the judicial districts on March 14, 2019.
Meaningful access to services outside the courtroom is a vital component of equal justice for LEP and deaf or hard of hearing persons. Examples of court services outside the courtroom include the following if administered under the authority of the court: services of the domestic relations office, the juvenile and adult probation offices, pro se clinics, some Alternative Dispute Resolution programs (ADR), family court custody education and mediation programs, drug and alcohol evaluation and treatment, mental health evaluation and treatment, anger management classes, domestic violence programs, safe driving classes, and other diversionary and educational programs.
Listed below are services provided by or contracted for by this judicial district, and the methods through which language access is provided for these services. If other services or programs are provided, list them with the language service information below the chart. Check all that apply, unless not applicable (N/A) is checked:
Type of Language Service Utilized | Domestic Relations Office | Adult Probation | Juvenile Probation | ADR (If provided/ managed by the Court) | Domestic Violence Programs | Drug & Alcohol Evaluation/ Treatment | Mental Health Evaluation/ Treatment | Anger Management Classes | Safe Driving Classes | Other Diversion/ Education programs |
N/A: not a service provided/ managed by court | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||
Authorized Bilingual Staff | ||||||||||
Staff Interpreter | ||||||||||
Contracted In-Person Interpreter | x | x | x | |||||||
Telephone Interpreter | x | x | x | |||||||
Translated Written Materials | ||||||||||
Webinars in Languages other than English | x |
In many judicial districts certain court programs and services are provided by private, third party vendors under contract with or paid by the court. Judicial districts are responsible to ensure that meaningful access is provided to LEP persons by vendors of these services and should review and seek adjustment of contract terms accordingly.
[] In addition, the judicial district is working with the vendors with whom it contracts to provide programs to ensure that those vendors comply with Title VI, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Specifically, the district includes the following provisions in its contracts with vendors and has encouraged the county to do so, as well, in its contracts with vendors that provide court programs and services:
For example, language similar to the following could be used:
Vendor will comply, and all its subcontractors will comply, with the nondiscrimination requirements of the Civil Rights Act of 1870; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Subtitle A, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (1990); Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Regulations implementing Sections 799A and 845 of the Public Health Service Act, 45 C.F.R. Part 83 ; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; and 45 C.F.R. Parts 83, 84, 86, and 90, as well as any other applicable federal nondiscrimination statutes and regulations. Specifically, Vendor must provide foreign language interpreters and translated documents to limited English proficient participants in compliance with Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act, and sign language interpreters to deaf or hard of hearing participants in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Click here to view image The judicial district has not yet worked to include language in vendor contracts requiring compliance with Title VI, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The district plans to accomplish this by January 1, 2022.
Click here to view image In addition, the Language Access Coordinator and/or DCA for the judicial district have advised judges that they should consider the ability of an LEP litigant to complete a given program before ordering him or her to do so, and have advised judges that they should not put an LEP litigant in danger of being held in contempt, charged extra fees or costs, or subject to any other adverse consequence for failure to complete a program that did not provide competent interpretation and translation.
Jun. Cnty. Pa. V