Learning Together To “Get It Right”

By Elizabeth Watkins PriceOriginally published at the North Carolina Criminal Law blog Since its founding in 2005, the mission of the Judicial College has been to provide “education and training to judicial branch personnel to develop the abilities and values necessary Read more

Crossing the Yard

BOOK REVIEW: Crossing the Yard: Thirty Years as a Prison Volunteer

It is difficult to discuss prison conditions with just about anyone. Some are convinced that crime deserves prison, the more time the better. Others are appalled by statistics that reveal the huge number of prisoners in America. Politicians talk about being tough on crime, parents talk about spending more on education instead of on prisons. Private prisons seem to be having a heyday. Recently, much has been made of the number of minorities in American prisons, and the long sentences they serve compared to Whites. As court personnel, exposed daily to crimes against society, it is easy to become jaded about prison and prisoners.

Diversity, Fairness, and Access: A 21st Century Curriculum

Last year, the Education and Curriculum Committee along with the Diversity, Access, and Fairness Committee, released its newest curriculum design, “The Journey toward Diversity, Fairness, and Access through Education,” which is a roadmap for judicial educators and practitioners wishing to develop or integrate fairness and bias related topics. Early curriculum adopters have lauded it.

Kelly Tait Webinar

Procedural Fairness for Court Staff

On February 25, 2016, NASJE’s Northeastern Region sponsored a webinar for NASJE members entitled Procedural Fairness for Court Staff: A Brief Curriculum for Teaching, facilitated by Kelly Tait, Immediate Past President of NASJE, and Joan Bishop, NASJE Northeastern Region Director. About 55 people participated in the webinar. It was a very quick-moving and informative exploration of how and why judicial branch educators should include the topic of procedural fairness in education programs for court personnel as well as judges.

Teaching Implicit Bias to Court Employees: Lessons from the Field

How do courts deal with issues such as the disproportion of minority representation in the criminal and juvenile justice systems? How can court employees and judges act to overcome the perception that the criminal justice system is biased towards minority populations, as shown in research at ProceduralFairness.org and elsewhere? Pima County courts chose to tackle implicit bias training as one facet of their efforts to combat these and related issues in courts in Tucson, Arizona.

Inviting Transformation by Foss & Foss

Inviting Transformation: Presentational Speaking for Changing the World

The third edition of Inviting Transformation continues to offer a refreshing, innovative approach to public speaking, or what the authors call presentational speaking to acknowledge that not all important speaking occurs in formal public settings. The book introduces readers to invitational rhetoric, a mode of communicating that offers an effective response to the diversity that characterizes the world.

The Divide

The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap

In his compelling book Matt Taibbi builds a compelling case about inequality in the American criminal justice system, charging that one’s wealth or lack thereof largely affects how one fares in it. Mr. Taibbi demonstrates convincingly how and why Wall Street bankers, traders and hedge fund operators have never been convicted of crimes for their roles in the 2008 recession.

NASJE Curriculum Design

Introducing “The Journey Toward Diversity, Fairness, and Access Through Education” Curriculum Design

We are excited to announce the completion of NASJE’s newest curriculum design! The history of this effort began when NASJE undertook, with support from State Justice Institute (SJI), the task of developing a comprehensive set of curriculum designs to advance the profession of judicial branch education based on core competency areas.