Collaborative Courts

Collaborative or “problem solving” Courts are courts that specialize in addressing underlying issues that be involved with a variety of legal situations facing a person before the court. They also include different agencies interacting with the court such as social services and health treatment providers in active judicial monitoring and a team approach to decision making. Below is a brief description of each of the Collaborative Court programs offered by the Superior Court, County of Orange.

Please feel free to contact the court to obtain programs availability at specific court locations

For further information you may also access the California Judicial Council, Administrative Office of the Courts online Collaborative Court information .

Adult Drug Court

Adult Drug Court is a collaboration of several County agencies: the Court, the Probation Department, the Health Care Agency, the Public Defender’s office, the District Attorney’s office, the Sheriff’s Department and other local law enforcement agencies.

The four-phase Drug Court program consists of intensive supervision by a Drug Court probation officer, individual and group counseling provided by the Health Care Agency’s Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, frequent court appearances, random drug and alcohol testing, and regular team meetings to discuss the participant’s progress.

As participants progress through the phases they are held accountable to program requirements, if they are non compliant they can receive sanctions ranging from an essay, community service, jail sanction, and program termination. Participants are also rewarded with incentives for positive behavior, such as phase advancements, decreased program requirements, drawings for movie tickets, and program graduation.

In order to graduate participants are required to obtain their high school diploma or a GED; to be gainfully employed or attending a training/academic program; to attend regular self-help meetings, and to have maintained consistent attendance at all court hearings, probation and counseling appointments.

Co-Occurring Disorders Court

Co-Occurring Disorders Court is a voluntary program for non–violent drug offenders who have been sentenced to and are engaged in the Proposition 36 (P.C. 1210) program but, as a result of their chronic, persistent mental illness are unable to comply with the requirements of the P.C. 1210 program.

The participants must have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, or major depressive disorder and are supported by readily available psychiatric services.

The Co-Occurring Disorders Court program involves frequent court appearances, weekly meetings with the Probation Officer and Health Care Coordinator, regular drug and alcohol testing, residential substance abuse treatment, and attendance at individual and group counseling sessions – all of which are based on the Drug Court model.

Participants are also assisted in accessing medical services, employment counseling, job training and placement, government benefits, and housing.

Domestic Violence Court

The goal of these programs is to improve the accountability of the restrained party and to enhance the safety of the protected parties.

Domestic Violence Coordination Teams provide intensive services for families with children, including alcohol and drug abuse programs, batterers’ intervention programs, counseling for victims, child protection services, mental health counseling, and financial assistance.

The teams include representatives from the Court, the Probation Department, the Health Care Agency’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, the Health Care Agency’s Children and Youth Services, emergency response and family maintenance staff from the Social Services Agency, and representatives from battered women’s shelters, law enforcement agencies, and the Victim Witness Assistance Program.

DUI Court

Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Courts have been established to target second and third-time drunk driving offenders. These voluntary programs provide participants with professional assistance to address substance abuse issues.

In addition to sobriety, the DUI Court program emphasizes rebuilding family ties, maintaining employment and a stable living environment, and pursuing educational goals.

The program is a partnership that includes the Superior Court, the Probation Department, the Health Care Agency, the Public Defender’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Department, MADD, and local law enforcement agencies.

Homeless Outreach Court

The Homeless Outreach Court is convened at several local homeless shelters. The goal of the Court is to resolve the infractions, low-level misdemeanor offenses, and outstanding warrants of homeless individuals, while providing them with links to necessary supportive services.

The program is a collaborative effort of the Superior Court, the Public Defender, the Public Law Center, the Veterans Administration, the Health Care Agency, the County Department of Housing and Community Services, local law enforcement agencies, and several homeless services providers from the community.

Participation in agency programs and community service are substituted for the traditional court sanctions of fines and custody.

ITT Court

The Intensive Twelve Ten (ITT Program) is a Drug Court within the Proposition 36 (Penal Code § 1210) program. The goal of the ITT Program is to increase program retention and completion rates by providing participants with a higher level of accountability utilizing successful Drug Court protocols and partnerships.

This program also utilizes the Drug Court model of sanctions and incentives. The collaborative partners of this program include the Court, the Probation Department, the Health Care Agency, the Public Defender’s office, the District Attorney’s office, the Sheriff’s Department and other local law enforcement agencies.

Juvenile Drug Court

The Juvenile Drug Court addresses the serious drug abuse issues of minor children. The goal of the program is to support the juvenile offender’s commitment to sobriety by providing the treatment and supervision needed to promote abstinence from substance abuse and to deter criminal behavior.

Minors participating in the year-long program are required to attend frequent progress reviews with the judge, attend weekly self-help groups, participate in group, individual, and family counseling, and follow the terms and conditions of probation.

Recovery (MIOCR) Court

Funded by a grant obtained by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department through the Mentally Ill Offenders Crime Reduction Act (MIOCR), the Recovery Court is a voluntary program for misdemeanor offenders suffering from chronic and persistent mental illness.

The participants must have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, or major depressive disorder.

The program provides participants with psychiatric services which may be initiated in the jail. Once the offender is released from custody they are provided with on-going psychiatric services and mental health counseling, drug and alcohol abuse counseling, residential treatment, and assistance in accessing medical services, employment counseling, job training and placement, government benefits, and housing.

The program involves frequent court appearances, regular drug and alcohol testing, meetings with the Recovery Court support team, and direct access to specialized services.

Truancy Response Program

The Truancy Response Program targets chronically truant youth, with the goal of eliminating their school truancies and absences, reducing their risk of criminal delinquency, and increasing their chances of future academic success.

The monitoring and accountability program involves the youth and their parents in a collaboration with the Juvenile Court, the Probation Department, the Department of Education, the District Attorney, the Public Defender, the Social Services Agency, the Health Care Agency, and the community-based Parent Empowerment Program.

WIT Court

WIT “Whatever It Takes” Court is a voluntary program for non-violent offenders who have been diagnosed as chronically, persistently mentally ill and are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The participants must have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, or major depressive disorder.

Through services funded by the Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63) the participants are provided with mental health counseling, psychiatric services, drug and alcohol abuse counseling, residential treatment, safe housing, family counseling and peer mentoring.

Clients are also assisted in accessing medical services, employment counseling, job training and placement, government benefits, and housing.

The program involves frequent court appearances, regular drug and alcohol testing, meetings with the WIT Court support team, and direct access to specialized services.