William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse
3341 Power Inn Road
Sacramento, CA 95826
Website

Court Watch Project

The Family Court Watch Project is designed as a means of determining what legislation might be initiated to make the process of family court litigation more efficient and less costly while ensuring that victims of abuse are protected and all families are guaranteed due process of law. All hearings occur on the second floor of the William Ridgway Courthouse on Power Inn Road in Sacramento.

Court watchers are trained to use an observation form which is filled out for each hearing they attend, either by hand or electronically. After training, court watchers are assigned to courtrooms according to their availability. After filling out their observation forms, court watchers return the form to the project manager, who inputs the data from the forms into a database for analysis.

This project enables observers to learn about the legal system, specifically the family court process, and how both judicial officials and litigants use and respond to the process. It should be an invaluable learning experience for students who will be working in the fields of law, criminal justice, psychology, sociology, women’s studies, and other related fields, and for community members concerned with social justice.

If you are interested in volunteering for any of the programs, have any information you would like to offer, or simply have questions about the program or the course, click on the link below:

California State University, Sacramento Department of Sociology College Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies Community Engagement Center Sociology 169 Homepage Court Watch Website