The handbook was distributed to all presiding judges and executive officers in California courts and to interested court officials across the nation.

On February 9, 1999, the Judicial Council of California unanimously approved the recommendations of the Special Task Force on Court/Community Outreach, including the release of the task force's major work product, Dialogue, a comprehensive "how to" resource to aid courts in court and community collaboration activities.

The handbook is available here, in full, for you to download. It includes ideas, resources, and tools for:

• Communicating with the community effectively
• Building productive relationships with partners and volunteers
• Addressing community problems through justice initiatives
• Identifying ethical considerations regarding involvement of the judiciary
• Addressing local needs with creativity and innovation in a changing environment

This handbook is intended to introduce the many concepts associated with court and community collaboration (e.g., court community outreach, community-focused courts, community courts, restorative justice, etc.) and the steps necessary to ensure a general community orientation of the courts. The programs described in this handbook can be used by all courts - trial and appellate, state and federal - to varying degrees depending on the nature of the program and the prerogatives of the courts. None of the program descriptions are intended to limit the nature, type, or number of community outreach programs in which courts can be involved.

The handbook is presented as introductory material, a body of seven sections, an appendix, and an index. It is available below in .pdf format for online viewing using the Adobe Reader .

view .pdf 44k	Letter of Welcome from Chief Justice Ronald M. George and Chair of the Special Task Force on Court/Community Outreach, Hon. Veronica Simmons McBeth
view .pdf 48k	Table of Contents
view .pdf 45k	Preface & Acknowledgments
view .pdf 49k	Introduction: This Handbook
view .pdf 101k	Section 1: Court and Community Collaboration - Overview and Guidelines This section offers an overview of court and community collaboration and general guidelines to consider when planning court community outreach programs.
view .pdf 302k	Section 2: Dialogue - Communicating with the Community This section provides profiles and examples of methods for improving the dialogue between courts and their communities. Included topics are customer service development, media relationships, citizen advisory committees, partnerships for providing civics education, and more.
view .pdf 254k	Section 3: Building Relationships with Partners and Volunteers This section examines resources for potential partners and volunteers and for developing court volunteer programs. Sample volunteer program tools are provided. A resource list included in this section identifies the many organizations and individuals the task force encountered who expressed an interest in partnering with their local courts.
view .pdf 179k	Section 4: Community Justice - Addressing Community Problems Through Justice Initiatives This section provides an overview of the national movement toward community problem solving through justice initiatives. Definitions and examples, as well as resources for learning more, are provided. The descriptions of community justice programs are presented in two parts: community criminal justice and community civil justice.
	Section 5: Courts as Educators - Model Public Education Programs This section provides an introduction and five general models of court and community public education programs. For each model, a general program description, including objective, potential audience, format, content, "getting the word out," and evaluation, is provided. Key points for organizing each program are described and then followed by a narrative What Works section that provides examples and tips from successful programs in California and nationwide. Finally, for each model, a Samples & Tools section contains letters, brochures, posters, surveys, and press releases that may be useful in developing the program.
	view .pdf 35k Introduction view .pdf 201k A. Working with Youth and Schools view .pdf 115k B. Juror Education/Appreciation view .pdf 130k C. Speakers Bureaus view .pdf 226k D. Courthouse Tours view .pdf 290k E. Public Information Materials
view .pdf 433k	Section 6: Ethical Considerations - Involvement of the Judiciary in Court and Community Collaboration Programs This section contains a comprehensive analysis of ethical considerations related to judicial involvement in community collaboration activities and general guidelines for judicial officer involvement.
view .pdf 124k	Section 7: Continuing Innovation - Addressing Local Needs in a Changing Environment This section encourages the courts to continue to innovate in response to community needs and concerns. It provides some background information about the nature of innovation; suggested activities to spur creative thinking among judges, court staff, and the community; and examples of innovation that bridge court practice with community needs.
view .pdf 110k	Appendix Provided in the appendix are a program listing, resource contacts, and a bibliography.
view .pdf 115k	Index

 
Tools Diskette
A tools diskette containing all of the "tools" offered in the body of the handbook is included in all copies of the handbook. These standard word processing documents can be used by the courts to make the startup or enhancement of court community outreach projects a simpler task. Included are letters, pamphlets, flyers, and press releases formatted for the easy addition of court-specific information. Once court names, contact numbers, and so on, have been inserted, these documents are ready for printing, photocopying, and release.

• Download samples and tools Word 6.0 documents .zip file 290k
  
• Download samples and tools Word 7.0 documents .zip file 296k