Programs

The Twelfth Judicial Circuit has developed numerous court programs to help facilitate the judicial process. On this page you'll find summaries and links to the programs provided by Court Administration that support the Court and court users.

Community Programs

  • Diversity InitiativesDeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota The Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court actively seeks collaboration with local communities and organizations comprised of diverse racial, gender, age, ethnic, national, disability and sexual orientation backgrounds in support of our mission of equity and harmony.
  • Family Self-Help Pro Se ProgramDeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota Persons who choose to represent themselves in court are referred to as pro se litigants. The Family Self-Help Pro Se Program assists unrepresented litigants in family law cases such as divorce, paternity, child support, parental responsibility and time-sharing. The program can also assist with processing requests for change of names and adoptions.
  • Guardianship Monitoring Manatee & Sarasota The Guardianship Monitor serves as the eyes and ears of the Court and investigates allegations of abuse, neglect and/or exploitation of elderly wards or the misappropriation of wards assets.

Court Process/Support Programs

  • Court InterpretersDeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota The Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court is committed to providing qualified interpreters to limited-English-proficient persons in order to eliminate communication barriers that may prevent full participation in court proceedings necessary to ensure due process and equal access to the courts.
  • Court Reporting & Digital RecordingDeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota The Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court uses a hybrid model for its court reporting services, comprised of the Official Court Reporters (OCR), which are stenographers, and Digital Court Recording (DCR). Each method provides a verbatim record of court proceedings that require the record to be made at public expense.
  • Pretrial ServicesSarasota The Pretrial Services Program serves the criminal justice system and community and assists in preserving community safety. The program provides the Court with information that facilitates sound judicial decisions, enforces court orders and provides supervision and treatment options.

Mediation Programs

  • MediationDeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota Three different programs fall under the Mediation umbrella: Citizen Dispute Settlement Program, County Civil Mediation, and Family Mediation. All three programs give people a way to resolve a dispute on their own with a mediator instead of having a judge make the decisions. This option may save court users time and money.

Specialty Programs

  • Problem-Solving CourtsDeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota The Twelfth Judicial Circuit is a leader in the state in providing “therapeutic justice,” creating and implementing problem-solving courts that use multidisciplinary teams and case management to address the root causes of people becoming involved in the criminal justice system: diseases of addiction, mental illness, and co-occurring disorders.