Judges learn about challenges faced by African Nova Scotians
About 45 Nova Scotia judges spent two days recently learning about the challenges facing the African Nova Scotian community, particularly when it comes to the justice system.
The engagement session at the Black Cultural Centre in Cherry Brook was also designed to give leaders from the black community a better understanding of the legal system and the responsibilities of judges, a Nova Scotia Judiciary news release said.
“This is another step to help us become better judges,” Chief Justice Michael Macdonald said in the release.
“We all carry with us lived experiences that shape who we are and what we believe, and those experiences help guide the decisions we make. But it is important that we also take time to better understand the world view of those who turn to us for relief, particularly when those individuals come from a background different than our own.”
The idea to meet with leaders from the African Nova Scotian community emerged from earlier sessions between the judiciary and First Nations leaders.
To help plan the program for this conference, black leaders from across the province were asked to identify the most pressing legal issues facing their communities.
“From street checks and traffic stops to incarceration in provincial or federal institutions, African Nova Scotians are statistically over-represented in the justice system,” Robert S. Wright, a forensic social worker in Halifax, said in the release. “But equally pressing is the differential treatment they experience when encountering the justice system, including harsher sentences, higher- security incarceration, less access to programming, and longer periods of custody before community release.”
The program began with a session for judges only, led by Kimberly Papillon, an internationally recognized expert on medical, legal and judicial decision-making. She concentrated on how neuroscience can help better understand the effects unconscious processes can have on legal decision-making.