PORTLAND (AP) – The U.S. Department of Justice and Maine’s courts signed an agreement Tuesday that ensures timely access to interpreters for people with limited English.

Grace Chung Becker, acting assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division in Washington, praised the state for its commitment to equal access to the courts through improvements to services for people with limited English.

“They’re holding Maine up as a model because of the various steps we’ve taken,” Ted Glessner, state courts administrator, said Tuesday.

The state courts began making improvements after the Justice Department received a complaints five to six years ago, Glessner said. At the time, the state’s demographics were shifting with the arrival of newcomers from the former Yugoslavia, Sudan and Somalia, among other places.

“There’s a lot of diversity in Portland and Lewiston and some other pockets around the state. Maine hasn’t had that in the past. Therefore, it was probably not geared up the way we needed to be in terms of meeting the needs of a diverse population,” he said.

The state now has the capability to get an interpreter on the phone within minutes if someone with limited English shows up at a clerk’s window, Glessner said.

Also, interpreters are available for court hearings, documents have been printed in multiple languages and court employees have received training, he said.

The Department of Justice says Maine’s courts now have one of the most comprehensive systems in the country when it comes to services for those with limited English. Under the terms of the agreement, the Department of Justice will monitor Maine’s compliance for two years.

“It’s all good news and it comes at the end of a lot of long hard work. We’re very proud of what our staff has done. I’m pleased that the Department of Justice has recognized that hard work,” said Maine Chief Justice Leigh Saufley.

The improvements don’t come without a cost, however. The courts will ask the Legislature for nearly $300,000 in additional funding during the next two-year budget to meet the need for additional interpreters, Saufley said.

AP-ES-09-30-08 1843EDT

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