Differences in Municipal Court Experiences By Race: Policy and Technology Solutions to Improve Equity and Transparency (WITHDRAWN)

Background and purpose: The death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO ignited a dialogue about racial inequities in the criminal justice system across the United States. In response, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed numerous disparities in the way the criminal justice systems treat Black citizens compared to others. President Obama’s Task Force on 21^stCentury Policing calls for greater transparency and accountability in government systems in order to build trust and legitimacy between citizens and government. This paper examines issues of racial parity in one municipal court system including: 1) challenges in navigating court processes, 2) perceived fairness of court treatment, 3) fine amounts, and 4) system impact on people’s daily lives.

 

Methods: This mixed-methods study included survey data collected at 11 municipal courts from 365 adults who made court appearances during fall 2015 for minor violations (67% black, 21% white; 12% other). Focus groups (N=80) were conducted with survey participants (65% black, 31% white; 4% other) for a more in-depth exploration of court experiences. Court data was also examined including per capita warrant rates and fine amounts, as well as website audits to assess availability of procedural information (e.g. dates, times, locations, ticket information, etc.). Chi-square (.05 significance level) was used to examine factors associated with perceived treatment and fine assessment. Thematic coding using NVivo was used to analyze qualitative data related to financial hardship effects.   

 

Results: Survey results suggest a significant relationship between race and a) perceived treatment by courts [X² (10, N = 365)=20.69, p < .02] b) the amount of fines assessed [X² (20, N = 365)=38.37, p < .01] c) access to legal services [X² (15, N = 365)=12.81, p < .04] and d) access to information about fine payment alternatives such as community service [X²(15, N = 365)=16.06, p < .05]. Blacks were more likely than whites to perceive unfair treatment, owe fines exceeding $500, and lack information about fine payment alternatives. Website audits identified serious information gaps (50% did not include court times, phone numbers, or fine payment information). Personal stories revealed hardships such as inability to pay due to fixed income, unexpected fees, needing more time to pay fines, and having to choose between paying medical expenses and court fines. A key finding was a lack of transparency and citizen understanding regarding system processes that disproportionately impacted low-income citizens; especially for racial and ethnic minority groups.

 

Conclusions and Implications: As municipal systems work to address these inequities and issues of mistrust among citizens, innovative technology solutions such as improved court websites, text reminders of court dates, and online payment systems for ticket resolution, should be considered. In addition, payment alternatives such as payment plans and community service should be made known and available to citizens. Citizen engagement in the design of technology and policy solutions that include a public awareness campaign may foster trust between citizens and municipal court systems and create a more user-friendly, respectful, and efficient system that could also reduce social and economic disparities.