Latinx Taskforce helps people navigate Larimer County Justice Center

Walking into the Larimer County Justice Center courthouse, things are functioning a little differently than they used to.

"There's a welcome desk, which is really when you come into the building, somebody right away will welcome you, and figure out where do you need to go, what are you looking for so you're not so disoriented," said Chief Judge Susan Blanco.

For many, the criminal justice system is intimidating.

"It's difficult to understand for regular folks, and certainly for people who it's not their first language, it's a different country," said Chief Judge Juan Villaseñor.

The need prompted Judges Blanco and Villaseñor to create the Latinx Taskforce in the 8th Judicial District after they began noticing that many Latinos didn't understand how the American justice system works. The judges held a community meeting to hear from people about their concerns.

"I was for the first time exposed to a lot of the issues that were plaguing the community, specifically for the Latine community, and the frustration people had about the process and how things were going for them," Blanco said.

With those frustrations realized, they began implementing more than just the welcome desk. The task force revamped the probation department's materials and training, partnered with CSU's School of Social Work and Psychology to increase Spanish-speaking services, and worked to simplify and translate documents. They also created an advisement video to help explain legal terms in Spanish.

"People are responding, people are coming in, which leads us to think they always needed the help," said Villaseñor.

Court data shows that from 2020 to now, there are more than five times as many people approaching the court for help in languages other than English than before this program began. Blanco and Villaseñor hope that the task force shows not just Latinos, but all members of the community, that the court is not only diversifying but evolving for the people.

"My hope is that the community will also start to see that and start to hopefully have a trust for our system," Blanco said. "We want to help the community, but it takes community members to trust us, to come to talk to us, to know our heart is in that place."

The courthouse now offers many of these resources in languages beyond Spanish. Blanco said while this is an important step, the work is not done, and they will continue to improve the judicial system.