The Nebraska Minority and Justice Task Force Final Report
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Publications of the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center Public Policy Center, University of Nebraska April 2011 The Nebraska Minority and Justice Task Force Final Report Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/publicpolicypublications Part of the Public Policy Commons "The Nebraska Minority and Justice Task Force Final Report" (2011). Publications of the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center. 100. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/publicpolicypublications/100 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Public Policy Center, University of Nebraska at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Publications of the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The Nebraska Minority and Justice Task Force Final Report January 2003 SJI State Justice Institute The Nebraska Minority and Justice Task Force Final Report January 2003 The work of this Task Force and the publication of this report was funded in part by a grant (Grant No. SJI-02-N-006) from the State Justice Institute. Points of view expressed herein do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the State Justice Institute. ii Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal….We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe – some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they are born with it, some men have more money than others…some people are born with gifts beyond the scope of most men. But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal – there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution is the court. It can be the Supreme Court of the United States, or the humblest justice of the peace court in the land, or this honorable court which you serve. Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal. Quote from Atticus Finch’s closing argument in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird iii Table of Contents Page Inside Cover..................................................................................................................................... ii Quote............................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ iv Minority and Justice Task Force .................................................................................................. viii Chairs................................................................................................................................. viii Members............................................................................................................................. viii Research Staff..................................................................................................................... xiii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ xiv Definitions ..................................................................................................................................... xvi Executive Summary...................................................................................................................... xvii Access to Justice ............................................................................................................... xvii Criminal and Juvenile Justice .............................................................................................. xvii Court Personnel................................................................................................................. xviii Legal Profession................................................................................................................ xviii General Recommendations ............................................................................................................ xix Introduction................................................................................................................................... xx Study Design ...................................................................................................................... xxi Implications ....................................................................................................................... xxii Chapter 1: Access to Justice ............................................................................................................ 1 Perception of the Courts ......................................................................................................... 1 Research Methods ...................................................................................................... 1 Sample ...................................................................................................................... 2 Trust in Public Institutions .......................................................................................... 2 Fairness in Nebraska’s Courts .................................................................................... 5 Equal Access Issues.................................................................................................... 7 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 9 Interpreter Services in the Nebraska Court System.................................................................. 10 Interpreter Certification ............................................................................................ 11 Workshops and Training Programs ............................................................................ 11 Appointment and Payment........................................................................................ 12 Translated Court Documents .................................................................................... 14 Court Personnel and Bar Perceptions of Interpreter Services ....................................... 15 Improving Interpreter Services in Nebraska’s Courts .................................................. 16 Juries in the Nebraska Court System...................................................................................... 17 Compiling Nebraska’s Jury Pools .............................................................................. 18 Jury Qualifications ................................................................................................... 21 Refreshing Jury Lists ................................................................................................ 21 iv Payment for Jury Service ......................................................................................... 21 Public Perception of the Jury System..................................................................................... 22 Court Personnel Perceptions of the Jury System ......................................................... 22 Bar Perceptions of the Jury System............................................................................ 23 Peremptory Challenges ............................................................................................. 24 Jurors’ Experiences and Attitudes.......................................................................................... 25 Jury Selection Process .............................................................................................. 23 Juror Perceptions ...................................................................................................... 26 Findings............................................................................................................................... 30 Public Perception ..................................................................................................... 30 Interpreter Services................................................................................................... 30 Nebraska Juries........................................................................................................ 30 Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 32 Public Perception ..................................................................................................... 32 Interpreter Services................................................................................................... 32 Nebraska Juries........................................................................................................ 33 Chapter 2: Criminal and Juvenile Justice...................................................................................... 35 Research Methods .................................................................................................... 35 Data Limitations ....................................................................................................... 35 Arrests and Incarceration