Pertinent Findings by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System

As part of its study on racial, ethnic and gender bias in the justice system, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Committee conducted a series of ten focus group discussions throughout the state. The goal of the discussions was to collect the thoughts of attorneys, judges, and court personnel of diverse races and ethnicities, and both genders, about their personal experiences with the justice system. The full report of findings from the focus group discussions is set forth in Chapter 9 of the Final Report, but among the more pertinent quotes from that report are the following:

“Power and responsibility to set the tone in the courtroom and effect change rest with the judiciary.”

“Everyone, regardless of position, brings assumptions and prior experiences into the courtroom. Some people are more conscious of this than others; education and training should deal with this fact and redress any consequent problems.”

“Racial and ethnic bias in the courtroom is described by all participants as rarely being overt. Rather, when it occurs, it is oblique; it has a ‘cover.’”

“Racially- and ethnically-biased actions in court compromise minority attorneys and minority court personnel in the performance of their responsibilities.”