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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIn response to the statement from Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush, the St. Joseph circuit, superior and probate courts have made a commitment to do better and improve justice for persons of color.
The St. Joseph judiciary has issued a statement on race and equity. They pledged not only to address and work to solve racial disparities within the judicial system but also to bolster the legal profession by improving the pathway for more people of color to become lawyers, judges and leaders.
“We strive for fairness,” the judges said in the statement. “We will not be complicit in perpetuating the bias and inequity that are carved in our nation’s history. We hear the voices that cry out in our streets and towns.”
Rush called for the courts and justice system to address the problems of racial inequities as protests erupted over police brutality.
“There is a disconnect between what we aspire for in our justice system and what we have achieved,” Rush said in the Statement on Race and Equity. “That may be hard to hear for all of us who work every day for fairness, but we must hear the voices that cry out in our streets and towns.”
The St. Joseph County judges are committed to participate in training on implicit bias, promoting a collaborative model of justice and making the courts a place where victims of biased hatred and racism can turn for help. They give children particular attention, committing to ensure disparate treatment towards children of color does not happen.
In addition, the judges are pledging to encourage attorneys and others in the judicial system, including law enforcement, prosecutors, public defenders, probation and other local agencies to educate themselves about racial disparities in the judicial system. Also, they want to promote tangible conversations about their community’s most pressing needs and issues.
The statement was signed by every judge and magistrate judge in St. Joseph County. St. Joseph joins multiple Indiana counties whose judiciaries have issued similar statements.
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