News

Active Recovery Creates Hope (ARCH) Court, Valor Court, Family Intervention Court and Restore Individual Self-Empowerment (RISE) Court all recently earned a renewed certification from the Ohio Supreme Court’s Commission on Specialized Dockets.

• ARCH Court is led by Judge Nicole Walker and is now certified through December 31, 2025.
  
  
• Valor Court is led by Judge Jerry Larson and is now certified through December 31, 2025.
  
  
• Family Intervention Court is led by Judge Ron Cable and is now certified through December 31, 2025.
  
  
• RISE Court is led by Judge Ron Cable and is now certified through December 31, 2025.

ARCH Court serves those with history of repeat OVI (Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated) convictions, Valor Court serves veterans, Family Intervention Court serves offenders who commit an act of violence against an intimate partner or against another household member and RISE Court serves human trafficking survivors.

In order to receive renewed certifications, the Akron Municipal Court had to submit an application, undergo a site visit and provide specific program materials in response to certification standards that became effective in January 2014.

Specialized dockets are courts that are dedicated to specific types of offenses or offenders and use a combination of different techniques for holding offenders accountable while also addressing the underlying causes of their behavior.

The Akron Municipal Court has six specialized dockets total. Mental Health Court, led by Judge Annalisa S. Williams, and Recovery Court, led by Judge Jon Oldham, are both certified through the end of 2023 and are actively pursuing recertification with the Supreme Court of Ohio. 

Judge Nicole Walker

Judge Jerry Larson

Judge Ron Cable