The purpose of the Supreme Court Standing Committee on Fairness and Diversity is to help the State Courts System to improve the quality of work and eliminate any type of bias from the court operations. It will help ensure that the grievances of every person are heard, and justice is served.
The biases you may find in court procedures are generally based on race, ethnicity, gender, financial status, disability, and any other element without legal relevancy. Removing biases from the operations or procedure of court helps accomplish fairness and diversity.
It provides hope to the victims and falsely accused individuals that their side of the story will be heard and a fair decision will be delivered. It will help promote a justice system where every person is treated with respect and dignity. With that being said, let’s learn how you can identify and eliminate bias!
What Is Bias?
Bias means to hold a specific or particular attitude towards a few things or people. Such an attitude or point of view often affects the judgment procedure and harms the parties involved. To put it simply, biasness is an internal belief that can make it challenging to understand and accept a certain scenario from an entirely different perspective. Let’s take an example for a better understanding of the concept.
Suppose you have been falsely accused of sexual harassment at work. In that case, you need to contact a sex crimes attorney to build your defense and prove your innocence. The defense could be built using police, prosecution, witnesses’ bias (such as race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender, etc.)
However, that is not enough!
Understand that it is the stigma that the person accused of sexual harassment is guilty of the act. This stigma leads to biases and affects innocent people due to false accusations. It is essential that every person involved in the case listens to both sides of the story. Assuming that the accused is “definitely” at fault will not help serve justice and affect the parties’ morale. Obviously, it is not going to be easy! But you can work with your attorney to break the stigma. Here is how:
Steps To Eliminate Bias:
Achieve Bias-Free Communication
First of all, you need to improve the quality of communication and make it unbiased and honest. It would be best if you spoke about your case, in all honesty, with your attorney. It will help understand the circumstances and loopholes. Otherwise, during the trials, they might get to discover some shocking news or facts about you that can affect your defense.
There is a possibility that you exclude a certain piece of information. It might be due to fear of being judged, or you might think that the information is not relevant to your case. Doing so, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is likely to cause trouble in the later stage. Therefore, you must achieve bias-free communication with the attorney. It will be more effective and help improve awareness and openness.
Build Trust and Confidence
Another thing that you can do to create an unbiased court environment is to pay attention to the attitude, gestures, or actions of the judges, attorneys, and other people present in the courtroom. Their actions must reflect sincerity and willingness to learn about your side of the story. Be confident; even if you are feeling scared, do not let it shake your confidence and trust in the justice system of the state or country.
To create an atmosphere of trust and confidence during courtroom proceedings and interaction, react positively, and treat everyone politely, with dignity and respect. Keep the phrase “You reap what you sow” in your mind. If you behave appropriately, others will have no choice but to respect you as well. It will help facilitate the proceedings of your case and might offer satisfactory results.
Institutionalizing Fairness and Diversity
Apart from the ways mentioned above to eliminate the biases, it is critical to develop and support training programs to promote fairness, diversity, cultural competence, and sensitivity. Encourage as many people as you can to attend such programs. Creating alliances with agencies outside of court will also come in handy for promoting an unbiased culture.
To Sum It All Up
Biases in any court proceeding affect the trust of a country or state’s people. It further shakes their confidence in the justice system. Therefore, it is essential that you work with the attorney to identify the bias and take appropriate action to eliminate it. Make sure to be honest with your attorney so that they can help build and strengthen your case, eventually providing justice.
