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What is the Orange County Collaborative Court?

 According to the Superior Court of California, the purpose of the Collaborative, or "Problem Solving" Court is to accomplish the following:

 "....address underlying issues that may be present in the lives of persons who come before the court on criminal, juvenile, or dependency matters. These life-changing programs involve active judicial monitoring and a team approach to decision making, and include the participation of a variety of different agencies, such as Probation and health treatment providers."

Collaborative Court Programs at the Community Court in Orange County, California, include Drug Court, DUI Court, three Mental Health Courts, Veterans Court, Homeless Outreach Court, and the Domestic Violence Safe Families Program.

Benefits of Orange County Collaborative Courts

Orange County Community Court, located in downtown Santa Ana, California, emphasizes services and strict monitoring to keep individuals out of trouble. Orange County Collaborative Courts are designed to serve those who have not yet gotten themselves into serious trouble, while rehabilitating those who have.

Those assigned to the court programs, as well as citizens who walk in seeking guidance and support from trained professionals, can benefit from the following services: mental health assessments, job-skills training, educational guidance, and housing services, which encourage and support placement in sober living or residential treatment facilities.

According to the Collaborative Courts' most recent 2009 Annual Report, the programs and the resulting low rate of recidivism saved millions of dollars in jail and health care costs.

Careers that Support Collaborative & Rehabilitative Programs

If you're interested in this type of preventative and rehabilitative approach, legal and community programs such as this could benefit from your skills.  Programs like these need mental health professionals to help empower the citizens who seek help at these types of facilities.  Furthermore, if you're interested in becoming an activist for these types of community outreach programs, earning your degree in Social Work & Human Services could be a fulfilling career path to follow.

Sources

• Superior Court of California - Orange County