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Work group flags language barriers: court forms, interpreter access and tracking
Summary
Participants said final protective‑order forms remain available mainly in English, raised interpreter availability at hearings, and requested better tracking of protective orders by language and interpreter use across police and courts.
Members of Baltimore County's BCStat work group identified language access as a key barrier for survivors seeking protective orders and court remedies.
Juliana Valencia Banks, chief of immigrant affairs, asked whether protective‑order service numbers are tracked by language; presenters and advocates noted that while courts have some Spanish translations and website translation tools, the official forms are largely English and that availability in courthouses is inconsistent. "As far as I know, it's only Spanish and English," a statewide review team member said, describing recent form revisions.
Advocates urged routinely providing interpreters in court and at intake. The group discussed county access to a LanguageLine contract and the county app (Insight) that allows officers to use remote interpreting by audio or video for about 20–25 languages; Major Fisher said desk officers received most of the initial training and that the system can work for initial on‑scene safety checks. The county vendor reports language‑use summaries bimonthly, but because fire and police share an account the current data cannot always separate police usage from fire usage.
Participants recommended: (1) better tracking of attempts and reasons for non‑service disaggregated by language, (2) clarifying whether translated forms are accepted by clerks, and (3) outreach to clarify court availability of printed translations and in‑court interpreters. BCStat said it will pull LanguageLine and county vendor usage numbers for 2023–25 and report back at the next meeting.
The work group also raised concerns about community members not using services because of immigration‑related fears; members said resource fairs and community listening sessions are planned to improve outreach.
