Reno Justice Court opened a new specialty court, primarily for women, called HER Court (Hope, Empowerment, Recovery) on Oct. 13.
Emily Ruff, Reno Justice Court’s specialty court program coordinator, explained that an existing specialty court for youth offenders wasn’t being fully utilized, and that docket’s existing grant funding was reallocated to HER Court.
“It’s tricky for women in the justice system,” said Ruff. “Sometimes they’re arrested, maybe on possession of substances, or even domestic-battery charges, but then you’ll speak with them, and they will end up articulating or divulging a history of trauma, or even being prior victims themselves.”
HER Court may refer people—including some men, as the court is not exclusive to women—for trauma-informed medical care. Ruff gave an example: “A lot of our women may have a history of sexual assault or sexual victimization. So it’s really important that when they see a medical provider, that provider approaches them in a trauma-informed way when they’re doing exams.” The court partners with Renown Women’s Health.
Ruff said HER Court employees will receive training specific to abuse and exploitation issues. “Awaken (a faith-based, anti-trafficking organization) is going to be performing some training on sex-trafficking patterns and ways for intervention. Then, the same with the Reno HEAT Team (the multiple law-enforcement-agency Human Exploitation and Trafficking team). They’ve partnered with us to provide some of that education and training on some of the trends that are occurring.”
Judge Ryan Katherine Sullivan oversees HER Court.
“What we’re trying to do is really focus and create an environment that’s based on safety and respect, and to not re-traumatize people through the process, basically,” she said.
One of HER Court’s main goals is to reduce recidivism.
“There’s about a 40% reduction in recidivism for people who graduate (specialty mental health) courts in comparison to the general population, so that’s significant,” said Ruff.