At the National Association for court Management, I attended the session on how courts are focused on better engaging minority and disadvantaged communities.
There are many dynamics that feed into the poor relationship:
- Predatory Practices by municipal courts -with bail, fines, fees practices that take money from people in punishing ways
- Implicit Bias of police and judicial officers — well-intentioned professionals who still perpetuate a biased system
- Lack of formal outreach and engagement work
- History of racism, that contributes to a community suspicion of the police and the courts
- Lack of rigorous data that can convince authorities of problems — anecdotes aren’t convincing enough
