Homeless Court: the San Diego Service Provider Toolkit

ABA Toolkit CVR_7:Layout 1 2/10/09 6:09 PM Page 1 “ I had four outstanding warrants for sleeping on the beach and open containers of alcohol. I was surprised by the court’s willingness to work with me and allow me to THE continue my program without the burden of legal problems. I felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted. It just gave me the confidence to deal with whatever I had to.” T HE John MacKanin VVSD alum and HCP participant S celebrating 10 years sobriety in January 2009 AN SAN DIEGO D IEGO “ Homeless Caring Court provides an opportunity for the justice system to remove S barriers to individual recovery that the system sometimes creates. The homeless court ERVICE process recognizes that each individual, in the circumstances in which she/he finds her- SERVICE self/himself, can attain a sense of self worth and recovery that the justice system will P affirm. At the same time, the “pay it forward” approach still holds individuals acc ount- ROVIDER able for their actions, while recognizing that “one size” (to recovery) does not necessarily “fit” everyone. We provide not only access, but (in many instances) fairness and justice.” T OOLKIT PROVIDER Hon. Gordon Baranco Alameda County Superior Court : H OMELESS TOOLKIT C OURT 740 15th Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 662-1694 By Steve Binder, Esq. [email protected] www.abanet.org/homeless and Steve Merriam, PH.D. Edited by Amy Horton-Newell, Esq. Law Office of the Public Defender of San Diego 233 “A” Street, Suite 800 San Diego, CA 92101 Contact: Steve Binder, Deputy Public Defender (619) 338-4708 • (619) 338-4811fax [email protected] ABA Toolkit CVR_7:Layout 1 2/10/09 6:09 PM Page 2 THE SAN DIEGO SERVICE PROVIDER TOOLKIT By Steve Binder, Esq. and Steve Merriam, PH.D. Edited by Amy Horton-Newell, Esq. This publication was financially assisted by a Grant of the San Diego County Bar Foundation generously sup- ported by a contribution from the San Diego Bar Foundation’s Gary W. Majors Fund for the Homeless. The materials contained herein represent the opinions of the authors and editor and should not be construed to be those of either the American Bar Association or the Commission on Homelessness and Poverty unless adopted pursuant to the bylaws of the Association. Nothing contained herein is to be considered as the ren- dering of legal advice for specific cases, and readers are responsible for obtaining such advice from their own legal counsel. These materials are intended for educational and informational purposes only. Copyright © 2009 by the American Bar Association. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permission requests should be sent to the American Bar Association Copyrights & Contracts Department via e-mail at [email protected] or via fax at (312) 988-6030. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN: 1-59031-981-8 13 Digit ISBN Number: 978-1-59031-981-9 II FOREWORD As Chief Justice of California and chair of the Judicial Council, I commend the American Bar Association and the San Diego Homeless Court Program for producing the San Diego Homeless Court Program Service Provider Toolkit, a valuable resource for addressing the needs of homeless community members in our justice system. The publication coincides with the 20th anniversary of San Diego’s Homeless Court Program, and marks 10 years of holding court sessions in the community at homeless services agencies. Homeless courts promote access to justice for dispossessed citizens in collaboration with a community network of homeless services agencies by providing alternatives to incarceration. Through the years, homeless courts have shown they accomplish more than simply resolving cases—they promote confidence in the court and the legal system among both par- ticipants and the community as a whole. Today there are 17 homeless court programs in California. The San Diego Homeless Court Program Service Provider Toolkit compiles innovative approaches developed by judges, court staff, attorneys, and community and criminal justice partners to serve homeless men and women in the criminal justice system while addressing issues of public safety. It applies evidence-based practices test- ed during the development of San Diego’s model Homeless Court Program (HCP). The toolkit emphasizes common themes among homeless courts, including the importance of collaboration among courts, criminal justice partners, and homeless services providers in assisting clients as they prepare for court and for reentry into the community. The San Diego Homeless Court Program Service Provider Toolkit is a valuable resource for our courts, for local bar associations, and for community and justice partners seeking to address problems in new ways in order to build a more inclusive criminal justice system and stronger, safer communities. RONALD M. GEORGE Chief Justice of California and Chair of the Judicial Council III CONTENTS Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................................................................................vii Introduction: A Message to Service Providers..............................................................................................................ix Section I The Homeless Court Program ..............................................................................................................................3 The History of the Homeless Court Program ....................................................................................................3 Core Elements of the Homeless Court Program ................................................................................................5 HCP Monthly Calendar: Four-Step Process ........................................................................................................6 Offenses Addressed by the Homeless Court ......................................................................................................7 Distinctions between the Traditional Court and Homeless Court ..................................................................7 Section II The Homeless Court Process ..............................................................................................................................11 Member Roles ........................................................................................................................................................11 Statement of Services, Entry Criteria, and Advocacy Letters ........................................................................12 Synchronized Steps: The Process Flowchart ....................................................................................................14 Process Steps Summarized ..................................................................................................................................15 Section III The Homeless Court Providers Network ..........................................................................................................29 Summaries of Partners, Programs, Statements of Services, and Entry Criteria ................................29 Section IV Perspectives on the Homeless Court ................................................................................................................47 COURT Hon. Peter C. Deddeh, Superior Court Judge........................................................................................49 Hon. Robert J. Trentacosta, Superior Court Judge ................................................................................50 Hon. David W. Ryan, Superior Court Judge ..........................................................................................51 PROSECUTION Richard McCue, Deputy District Attorney ............................................................................................54 Regan Savalla, Deputy City Attorney......................................................................................................55 V DEFENSE Steve Binder, Deputy Public Defender....................................................................................................58 Terri Peters, Deputy Public Defender......................................................................................................60 PROVIDERS Andre Simpson, Veterans Village of San Diego ....................................................................................62 Julie Soper, YWCA Passages Program ....................................................................................................65 Kriste Draper, Children’s Advocacy Institute ........................................................................................66 Bert Capati, St. Vincent de Paul Village ..................................................................................................69 Dennis Vermeersch, Second Chance/STRIVE........................................................................................69 Adriane Soriano, IMPACT ........................................................................................................................71 Sienna Ambrose, Pegasus East Dual Recovery Center ........................................................................73 Charles Lyles, Veterans Village of San Diego ........................................................................................74

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