Report of Assessment for the Family Law System in
Colusa County, California, United States of America
A. This is Assessment #783 on AssessFamilyLaw.org and the 1st Assessment on this jurisdiction.
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To see other scores, click LookUp Completed Assessments.
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To see Video and memo introductions, click Video and memo introductions.
B. The present Assessment yielded a score of 16 out of 100 (16/100). From highest to lowest, the 10 groups of measures were scored as follows.
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Group C.Educating parents on the necessity and advantages of safety and cooperation: 3/4 (75.0%)
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Group A.Putting upfront the system’s commitment to cooperation: 8/12 (66.7%)
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Group B.Responsibly confronting domestic violence and ensuring safety: 5/8 (62.5%)
C. This graph shows the average scores for this jurisdiction compared to those for all jurisdictions. (In each case the total number of assessments is shown in parentheses.)
D. Below is a copy of this assessment (#783).
Note that each measure is scored on a scale of 0-4 (0=no compliance; 1=slight compliance, 2=moderate compliance, 3=substantial compliance, and 4=full compliance).
| Group A. Putting upfront the system’s commitment to cooperation | ||
| 1. | A superior judicial website. The jurisdiction uses and regularly updates an excellent website communicating the advantages and judicial expectations of safety and cooperation in all family cases. An example is posted at FamilyCourtWebsite.org. |
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| 2. | Replacing unnecessarily divisive language. Wherever possible the jurisdiction avoids adversarial language. Mother, Father, Husband, Wife, Putative father, Former mother, Former father, and the like have replaced Plaintiff, Defendant, Petitioner, and Respondent. Versus is never used. Divorces are entitled with language such as In re the Marriage of [insert] and [insert] or Regarding the Marriage of [insert] and [insert]. |
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| 3. | Further public education through resources like public service announcements (PSAs) and pamphlets. FamilyCourtWebsite.org holds samples of judicial PSAs, educational handouts like Divorce Case Pamphlet and Paternity Case Pamphlet, and other public education tools. The jurisdiction may use remote or in-person help desks for further assistance to the public. |
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| Group B. Responsibly confronting domestic violence and ensuring safety | ||
| 4. | Interprofessional cooperation to ensure safety. The jurisdiction has a written plan enlisting all judges, attorneys, and other family professionals in (1) ensuring safety, (2) responding appropriately to claims of domestic violence, and (3) discouraging false claims. A committee of judges, attorneys, domestic violence experts, and law enforcement representatives reviews the plan’s effectiveness at least every other year and submits a written report to the bench and bar for further discussion and action. |
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| 5. | Assuring superior safety resources. The jurisdiction (a) affords resources like a 24-hour hotline, coordination with police and other professionals, and trained court staff to assist in protection from domestic violence and (b) uses a program of public education to advise the public about the interventions and programs available to protect against domestic violence. |
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| Group C. Educating parents on the necessity and advantages of safety and cooperation | ||
| 6. | Superior online education. All parents in divorce and paternity cases are immediately referred to an online workshop like UpToParents.org and are required to finish their website work, make a copy, and take it to their co-parenting divorce or paternity class. Jurisdictions should choose the online workshops they consider best in their circumstances. |
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