PBS高端访谈:法官帮助无家可归者（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: Being a defendant in a courtroom can be an intimidating experience, especially for those who are trying to make ends meet. As Tina Martin at PBS station WGBH in Boston reports, one unique court in Boston tries to make it less stressful for one particularly vulnerable group of people.

TINA MARTIN: In more than two decades, as district court judge, the Honorable Kathleen Coffey has sent plenty of people to jail.

MAN: Hear ye, hear ye, all persons having business before the Honorable Kathleen Coffey.

TINA MARTIN: But her goal on this day is to keep them out. This is homeless court, held once a month at the Pine Street Inn, the largest organization for homeless services in New England. Prosecutors and social workers identify cases that can come before the court, cases involving crimes such as minor drug possession and destruction of property.

KATHLEEN COFFEY, Homeless Court Judge: When you're homeless, you're more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system, because of your interactions on the street with police.

TINA MARTIN: Many who end up here are battling addiction.

MATTHEW, Defendant: I'm coming up on two years off heroin this January, this coming January.

TINA MARTIN: This man asked that we call him by his first name only, Matthew. Even though he's clean now, an arrest for drug possession from years ago remained his record.

MATTHEW: It's kind of a roadblock to securing employment.

TINA MARTIN: Like all the defendants in this courtroom, Matthew was homeless or facing homelessness. Defendants have to show they have tried to get their lives back together, everything from drug rehab to job training.

KATHLEEN COFFEY: You don't have any convictions on this day.

TINA MARTIN: On this day, Matthew's case was dismissed.

KATHLEEN COFFEY: Keep up the good work. We do wish you the very best. Good luck. We are removing legal barriers that interfere with the placement of an individual into permanent housing.

TINA MARTIN: Judge Coffey has presided over Homeless Court here inside the Pine Street Inn since 2010 and says, since then, she has dismissed hundreds of low-level felonies and misdemeanors, including a drug possession charge on Barbara Parham's record.

BARBARA PARHAM, Former Defendant: I just knew that I had to get rid of I, and it was something that was going to hinder me job-wise, living-wise. I felt like it was a mistake, and how can I have this corrected without making it a big to-do or being embarrassed?

TINA MARTIN: This time last year, Parham was homeless and nervous about the idea of showing up in a courtroom.

BARBARA PARHAM: You're homeless, so most of the time, you're a little on the shabby side. When they told me about Homeless Court and where it was and how it was held, a very private setting, I felt safe and comfortable enough to go.

TINA MARTIN: The charge was dismissed, and Parham says she got her life back. She now has an apartment.

BARBARA PARHAM: My life like, to me anyway, it was a total disaster. I was jobless, homeless. And from then to now, with the help of Pine Street, I was able to put my life back on track, and here I am.

TINA MARTIN: In her own home, something Matthew hopes to have soon.

MATTHEW: Thank you.

KATHLEEN COFFEY: Good luck.

MATTHEW: Thank you very much.

TINA MARTIN: For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Tina Martin in Boston.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Really wonderful to see.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：在法庭上以被告的身份出席是一种蛮吓人的经历，尤其是被告本身还处于入不敷出的经济状况。根据我台记者蒂娜·马丁从波士顿的PBS站发回的报道，波士顿某特别法院试着让一个尤其脆弱的群体缓解压力。

蒂娜·马丁：在过去20多年的时间里，作为本区法庭的法官，可敬的凯思琳·科菲将很多人送进了监狱。

男：听着，听着啊，所有人都认识可敬的凯思琳·科菲。

蒂娜·马丁：但她现在的目标是不让他们进监狱。这个法院是无家可归人的法院，每个月都会在松街旅馆为新英格兰无家可归的人提供一次服务，这也是近期提供这类服务的组织中最大的一个。检察官和社会工作者在很多事情没有酿成案件之前就已经发现了问题，这些问题通常与犯罪有关，比如持有少量毒品、破坏他人财产等。

凯思琳·科菲，无家可归人的法院，法官：无家可归的时候，牵涉到刑事司法系统里的概率就更大了，因为会与街头的警察有交涉。

蒂娜·马丁：很多人最后都来到这里抗击毒品犯罪。

马修，被告：我戒海洛因已经2年了，今年一月就要2年了。

蒂娜·马丁：这名男子要求我们叫他的名字而非姓氏。他叫马修。虽然他现在已经不吸毒了，但他的档案里还是有几年前因吸毒而被逮捕的记录。

马修：这是确保就业工作中的障碍。

蒂娜·马丁：与法庭上的所有被告相似，马修也处于即将无家可归的边缘。被告必须要展现出他们已经尽力让生活恢复平静，展现的证据从戒毒到工作培训，不一而足。

凯思琳·科菲：你没有犯罪。

蒂娜·马丁：今天，马修的案子正式结了。

凯思琳·科菲： 再接再厉吧，我们都希望你能越来越好，祝你好运。我们正在清楚法律方面的一些障碍，让个人能够获得永久住房。

蒂娜·马丁：自2010年以来，法官科菲就在松街旅馆里为案件做判决。她表示，从那时起，她驳回了上百桩重罪与轻罪的案件，包括芭芭拉·帕勒姆记录中关于持有毒品的控诉。

芭芭拉·帕勒姆，前被告：我只知道我必须摆脱这种境况，这会阻碍我找工作，阻碍我好好生活。我感觉这是个错误，而我要怎样才能在让自己在纠正这个错误的时候不感到尴尬或者慌乱呢？

蒂娜·马丁：去年这个时候，帕勒姆还无家可归，并为要在法庭上出庭而惴惴不安。

芭芭拉·帕勒姆：你无家可归，所以大多数时候，都是穷困不堪的。当有人跟我提起这家法院，并告诉我它的地址和运营方式的时候，我得知这里是很私密的地方，我感觉去那里很安心、很舒服。

蒂娜·马丁：起诉已经撤销了。帕勒姆表示自己的生活恢复如初。她现在也有自己的房子了。

芭芭拉·帕勒姆：我曾经的生活就像是一场灾难——我没有工作、无家可归。从那时起到现在，在这家法院的帮助下，我终于可以重拾生活并继续前行，所以有了现在的我。

蒂娜·马丁：拥有自己的家，这是马修的希望，而这个希望也即将实现。

马修：谢谢。

凯思琳·科菲：祝你好运。

马修：非常感谢。

蒂娜·马丁：感谢收听蒂娜·马丁从波士顿发回的《新闻一小时》报道。

朱迪·伍德拉夫：谢谢您的播报。