Will County Courthouse in Joliet makes due with understaffed interpreters

JOLIET – Will County Judge Daniel Kennedy asked the man standing before him Monday in court if he understood the plea agreement he’d signed and if he had signed it on his own free will.

Immediately Carla Coloma, one of three full-time courthouse interpreters on staff, began interpreting in rapid-fire Spanish every word Kennedy said, creating a steady flow of hushed conversation.

After each question, Coloma responded “Yes, judge,” for the Spanish-speaking defendant, alternating between languages as the judge told the defendant he was waiving his rights for trial by pleading guilty.

Within a matter of minutes, Coloma interpreted for at least five other cases before one of the attorneys in the courtroom asked her if she’d be available to interpret during a bench trial scheduled for later in the day.

She wasn’t sure, she said, but would do her best to make it. If she couldn’t, it’s possible another interpreter – she’s one of three on staff – would be available.

“It’s hard to handle all the court calls. If someone isn’t available, they have to reschedule. I’m constantly running to different courtrooms,” Coloma said, a pager in hand. “We go where we are paged.”

Her job duties go beyond interpreting in the courtroom, she said. A small line of defendants had formed in her general vicinity outside Kennedy’s courtroom and she interpreted for attorneys conversing with Spanish-speaking clients.

She looked down at her notepad, check-marked through the list of courtrooms and defendants’ names, and realized she needed to get to another courtroom where she was paged earlier in the day.

She headed toward the elevators.

It’s an average hectic Monday for Coloma and the other Will County Courthouse staff interpreters as they juggle traffic, domestic battery, misdemeanors, small claims and other cases. A fourth interpreter is typically assigned to the fourth floor to handle felonies.

Associate Judge Jessica Colon-Sayre, the first female Latina judge in Will County, was appointed earlier this year. She said the understaffing of interpreters is a longstanding issue, and one that’s exacerbated by a growing Hispanic population in Joliet. A 2010 U.S. Census Bureau estimate put the population at about 16 percent.

Colon-Sayre is assigned to traffic court, where a Spanish-speaking interpreter is needed for some of the 300 cases she sees daily, she said. Coloma assisted her earlier that day.

“From petty [offenses] all the way to [felony], it’s important that we admonish [their rights] correctly,” she said. “You’re talking about people who don’t understand English ... and who are often confused and don’t understand the rules [of the] court system.”

Will County Court Administrator Kurt Sangmeister said the courthouse is requesting additional funding for another full-time interpreter in next year’s budget, but it’s unclear whether that request will be approved. The three current interpreters’ salaries total just under $97,000.

Staff interpreters speak only Spanish and English, he said, so the county contracts with outside firms in instances when an interpreter for other languages, such as sign language, is required. The courthouse also has requested an increase in funding from $46,000 to $70,000 next year for those expenses.

The additional funding will help the courthouse comply with the Illinois Supreme Court's new "Access to Justice" initiative, which is designed to improve access to the courts for self-represented litigants, low-income individuals and others.

Colon-Sayre said the county’s Access to Justice pilot program began in June. Trained volunteers, some of whom speak Spanish, are available in the courthouse’s Law Library on the fourth floor to provide legal information for self-represented litigants, she said. The goal is to provide everyone equal access to the court’s system regardless of income or resources.