[ Browse by Service Category : Criminal Justice and Legal Services : Sub-Topics of Judicial Services (11) ]

Consent and Capacity Adjudication

Programs that hold hearings and issue decisions regarding matters of mental health capacity, health care consent, civil (involuntary) committal, substitute decision making, or personal health information. Depending on the jurisdiction, the review and decision process can be made through an administrative tribunal or a court of law.

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Court Orientation Programs

Programs that provide information for people who will be appearing in court regarding court procedures and what they can expect in their hearings. Included may be information for people who have been charged with an offense, victims of or witnesses to crimes called to testify in court, people involved in civil litigation cases, people representing themselves in court and others involved in legal proceedings. Also included are orientation programs for people involved in mediation, arbitration or other processes for resolving disputes.

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Criminal and Civil Fine Collection Offices

Offices that are responsible for collecting fines that are assessed when an individual commits an act that constitutes a civil infraction and receives a citation or is found to be guilty on a summary charge or indictable offence and is ordered by the court to pay a fine, fee and/or other monetary penalties. These offices may also handle requests for fine deferments or installment plans.

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Guardianship/Conservatorship Court Investigation

Programs, often offered by public guardianship/conservatorship organizations, that conduct court-requested investigations in situations where a guardianship or conservatorship petition has been filed and report their findings and recommendations to the court. In the case of child guardianships, investigators review and report on the qualifications of the people who are applying to be appointed as guardians. In the case of adult guardianships or conservatorships, investigators gather information from relevant persons in the individual's social network including family members, doctors, friends, neighbours, and others with knowledge of the person's needs and capabilities, and produce a written report with a recommendation for or against the petition which is considered by the judge in reaching a decision. Guardianships and conservatorships differ widely among jurisdictions. Guardianships pertain to children but may also address the needs of adults found to be incompetent by the court. In both cases, guardianships may be of the person or the person's estate. Conservatorships, where they exist, may be involuntary and address the needs of adults found to be incompetent by the court or voluntary addressing the wishes of adults who are competent but physically infirm; and may pertain to the person and/or the person's estate, in the latter case, depending on the conservatee's wishes. In some provinces, conservatorships apply only to an individual's property while guardianships address responsibility for the person.

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Provincial/Federal Crown Counsel

Programs that are part of the provincial or federal judicial system that are responsible for prosecuting, in the name of the government, individuals who have been accused of an offence.

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The above terms and definitions are part of the Taxonomy of Human Services, used here by permission of INFO LINE of Los Angeles.


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