the nebraska minority justice task force nebraska supreme court nebraska state bar association...
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The Nebraska The Nebraska Minority Justice Task ForceMinority Justice Task Force
Nebraska Supreme CourtNebraska Supreme Court
Nebraska State Bar Nebraska State Bar AssociationAssociation
Public Policy CenterPublic Policy Center
Areas of ResearchAreas of Research
Access to JusticeAccess to Justice-Jury Pool Analysis-Jury Pool Analysis -Public -Public
PerceptionsPerceptions
-Interpreter Services-Interpreter Services -Juror Perceptions-Juror Perceptions
Court WorkforceCourt Workforce-Minority Employment by the Courts-Minority Employment by the Courts
-Equal Employment Opportunity Policies-Equal Employment Opportunity Policies
-Employee Perceptions-Employee Perceptions
Areas of ResearchAreas of ResearchLegal ProfessionLegal Profession
-Law School Admission and Retention-Law School Admission and Retention
-Professional Opportunities-Professional Opportunities
-Judicial Nominations and Selection-Judicial Nominations and Selection
Criminal and Juvenile JusticeCriminal and Juvenile Justice-Arrest and Incarceration Rates-Arrest and Incarceration Rates
-Differential Sentencing of Bonds-Differential Sentencing of Bonds
-Access to Diversion Programs-Access to Diversion Programs
-Indigent Defense-Indigent Defense
Research DesignResearch Design Quantitative:Quantitative:
Surveys of judges, attorneys, jurors, court Surveys of judges, attorneys, jurors, court personnel and the publicpersonnel and the public
Data on arrests, sentencing and incarcerationData on arrests, sentencing and incarceration Demographic data on the court workforce, law Demographic data on the court workforce, law
schools, legal profession and judiciary.schools, legal profession and judiciary. Qualitative:Qualitative:
Public hearings, soliciting testimony from Public hearings, soliciting testimony from minority communities regarding their minority communities regarding their experiences and perceptions of the justice experiences and perceptions of the justice system.system.
Written testimony from prison inmatesWritten testimony from prison inmates Focus groups with minority attorneys and Focus groups with minority attorneys and
minority law students.minority law students.
Public Hearing in 2001Public Hearing in 2001
Malone Center, Lincoln NE
General FindingsGeneral Findings
Language BarriersLanguage Barriers Arrests, sentencing, and Arrests, sentencing, and
incarceration disparitiesincarceration disparities Jury Pool diversityJury Pool diversity Diversity of the Court workforceDiversity of the Court workforce Diversity of the legal professionDiversity of the legal profession
Now that we know… what Now that we know… what are we going to do about it?are we going to do about it?
Nebraska Minority Justice Nebraska Minority Justice Implementation CommitteeImplementation Committee
Nebraska Minority Justice Implementation Committee
Nebraska Minority Justice Nebraska Minority Justice Implementation CommitteeImplementation Committee
1. Address racial disparities in both the 1. Address racial disparities in both the juvenile and adult justice systemsjuvenile and adult justice systems
2. Ensure equal access to the justice 2. Ensure equal access to the justice system.system.
3. Increase the diversity of Nebraska ‘s 3. Increase the diversity of Nebraska ‘s judicial workforce and legal profession.judicial workforce and legal profession.
Policy and Social ChangePolicy and Social Change
1. Legislative Reform1. Legislative Reform
2. Supreme Court Rule 2. Supreme Court Rule ChangesChanges
3. Internal Policy Reform3. Internal Policy Reform
4. Education and Creating 4. Education and Creating Opportunities for ChangeOpportunities for Change
Legislative ReformLegislative Reform
Issue: No statutory requirement for Issue: No statutory requirement for counties to periodically update their counties to periodically update their jury pool lists. There were counties in jury pool lists. There were counties in Nebraska who had not updated their Nebraska who had not updated their jury pool lists from 5-20 years.jury pool lists from 5-20 years.
2003 Legislation to help ensure that 2003 Legislation to help ensure that juries are representative of their juries are representative of their communities.communities.
Supreme Court Rule ChangesSupreme Court Rule Changes
Language Interpretation and Translation Language Interpretation and Translation IssuesIssues::
-Quality-Quality
-Children as Interpreters-Children as Interpreters
-Batters as Interpreters for Victims-Batters as Interpreters for Victims
-Access to Bail Bond-Access to Bail Bond
Internal Policy ReformInternal Policy Reform Pre Law Institute at the University of Pre Law Institute at the University of
Nebraska College of Law.Nebraska College of Law. A summer program for students from diverse A summer program for students from diverse
backgrounds to prepare students for law school backgrounds to prepare students for law school and the application process, expose them to the and the application process, expose them to the practice of law, and establish mentoring practice of law, and establish mentoring relationships.relationships.
Diversity of the Nebraska Court SystemDiversity of the Nebraska Court System-adopted a pay differential for bilingual employees-adopted a pay differential for bilingual employees-expanded recruitment efforts to attract a more -expanded recruitment efforts to attract a more
diverse applicant pooldiverse applicant pool-revised discrimination complaint procedure-revised discrimination complaint procedure
Social Change: Self EducationSocial Change: Self Education
Creating a legal culture that is cognizant of Creating a legal culture that is cognizant of the unique issues faced by racial and the unique issues faced by racial and ethnic minorities, while uncovering the ethnic minorities, while uncovering the systems of inequality within the profession.systems of inequality within the profession. Seminars for minority attorneys on how to apply Seminars for minority attorneys on how to apply
for judicial vacanciesfor judicial vacancies Educating attorneys and judges on how to Educating attorneys and judges on how to
effectively use language interpreters in the effectively use language interpreters in the courts.courts.
Educating attorneys on the unique legal issues Educating attorneys on the unique legal issues faced by Native Americans in Nebraska.faced by Native Americans in Nebraska.
Public EducationPublic Education
““Law Day” events at local minority Law Day” events at local minority community centers featuring:community centers featuring: Free legal clinics, information on jury Free legal clinics, information on jury
service, opportunities to register to vote, service, opportunities to register to vote, information on careers in the court information on careers in the court system and on applying to law schoolsystem and on applying to law school
Public EducationPublic Education
Year of the Juror Year of the Juror Project: develop Project: develop and implement a and implement a campaign to campaign to educate minority educate minority communities about communities about jury service.jury service.
Lexington High School students listen to presentations by local judges
Creating Opportunities for ChangeCreating Opportunities for Change
Annual Legal Annual Legal Diversity Summit Diversity Summit provides provides education, education, interviews and interviews and networking for networking for Nebraska legal Nebraska legal employers and employers and regional law regional law students of color.students of color.
2005 Legal Diversity Summit
Current AgendaCurrent Agenda
Failure to Appear PolicyFailure to Appear Policy Uniform Definition of RaceUniform Definition of Race Disparities in Probation SentencesDisparities in Probation Sentences Representative JuriesRepresentative Juries Uniform Protection Order (state and Uniform Protection Order (state and
tribal courts)tribal courts) Diversity SummitDiversity Summit LSAT Prep ScholarshipLSAT Prep Scholarship