Court Services

Welcome to the Alachua County Department of Court Services official website. We believe in informing the public in the spirit of transparency about the programs and services we offer to our client population. Our primary mission is to reduce the need of incarceration by providing the court with timely and accurate information, provide community-based supervision and therapeutic services with an emphasis on accountability and public safety. We promote fairness, equity, and due process in the administration of justice.

 

The programs we provide are the heartbeat of Court Services. Our programs meet the various needs of the client population we serve in such areas as mental health, pretrial, probation, community services, substance abuse treatment, drug court and Veteran’s court. We are a collaborative body with the judiciary; State Attorney’s Office; Public Defender; Sheriff and Department of the Jail staff, along with other community partners.

 

Our vision is simple—to uphold our values of dignity and fairness. To remain professional, compassionate, and available to the community. We are accountable to the Board of County Commissioners; the County Manager; the clients we serve; our key stakeholders; and the community at large. We believe in the presumption of innocence and release emphasizing risk-based decisions over holds and secured bonds in addition to providing recommendations to the court on all Court Services programs for which a client may qualify. We are committed to achieving and maintaining accreditations with the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies and the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission. We strive to remain transparent in our business practices while protecting the privacy of our clients and remaining accountable for preserving public safety.

 

Finally, I encourage you to explore our website, read the client surveys for each of our programs and learn more about the Court Services footprint in our community. Thank you!

 

Michael Arizmendi

Director