District Court translates forms to make justice accessible to all

Under the leadership of Judge Dale Ramsey, the Third Judicial District Court serving Berryville, and in collaboration with Arkansas Access to Justice, strides have been made to ensure that justice is accessible to all, regardless of language barriers. Arkansas Access to Justice has successfully completed over 17 translations of court forms for the Berryville Division and is in the process of completing 20 more. Languages requested have been Spanish, Marshallese, Karen and Chukese.

Judge Ramsey emphasized the importance of this project: “Our Court often sees defendants who speak Spanish, Marshallese and Karen. We use many standardized forms that we give defendants after court that they take with them to explain what happened in court, and to explain what else they may need to do as a result of the court hearing. For example, they may need to make payments or do community service, they may need to complete some type of counseling, or they need to return to court. Having our forms translated into Spanish, Marshallese and Karen helps these defendants understand court, and helps keep them from getting arrested for failing to comply with court orders. We want to thank Arkansas Access to Justice for helping us provide these forms to defendants in a language they can read and understand.”

Chief Court Clerk Rexanna Lilly expressed appreciation for the support received: “We really appreciate the work that Arkansas Access to Justice is doing to help us get the necessary information to the defendants in their language. This effort is instrumental in reducing the number of failures to appear (FTAs). I cannot express how grateful I am for all that you and your office have done to help us achieve this.”

“We extend our deepest thanks to the Chief Court Clerk, Rexanna Lilly, as well as Deputy Clerks, Briana Wolfe and Maressa Hernandez, for their instrumental roles in this endeavor,” Arkansas Access to Justice said in a news release. “Their dedication has been key in breaking down language barriers and ensuring a smoother, more understandable legal process for non-English speakers.

Through these collective efforts, we are paving the way for a more accessible, equitable, and just legal system. We look forward to more partnerships and continue to work towards a future where language is no longer a hurdle to accessing justice.”

For courts interested in having their forms translated, contact Edith Chavez at edith@arkansasjustice. org.