Georgia Justice System’s Treatment of Adult Victims of Sexual Violence: Some Problems and Some Proposed Solutions
In 1991 the Supreme Court Commission on Gender Bias in the Judicial System completed a two-year study and issued its report to the Supreme Court. Sexual violence was one of the subjects it examined. The Commission found that false and gender-biased stereotypes affected the prosecution of rapes and other sexual assaults. Fear of the system and lack of training for law enforcement and prosecutors resulted in under reporting of sexual assault cases. Few reports resulted in arrests. In particular, victims feared being blamed for their own victimization.
In response to those findings, the Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Equality spent the last two years examining the legal system’s treatment of adult sexual violence victims. As a result, The Georgia Justice System’s Treatment of Adult Victims of Sexual Violence: Some Problems and Some Proposed Solutions was completed February 2003. Many of the suggested solutions are the result of input from prosecutors, defense attorneys, victim advocates, judges and scholars. Click here to download the report.
Georgia Bailiffs: Diplomats in a Multicultural Society
Bailiffs Training Video
The Committee has partnered with the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education in Georgia and the Council of Superior Court Judges to create a training video for bailiffs. The video will provide bailiffs with an orientation to courtroom procedure, a synopsis of daily tasks and responsibilities, and tools for positive interaction with diverse court users. The video will feature a roundtable discussion among bailiffs and judges, commentaries from judges and court personnel, and scenes of bailiffs in courtrooms throughout the state. Copies are available through the Commission.
Padres del Divorcio
Divorcing Parents Spanish Video
Padres del Divorcio is a Spanish language video created
to address current language barriers that exists among divorcing parents
in many Hispanic and Latino communities in Georgia superior courts.
The video complies with Superior Court Uniform Rule 24.8, which mandates
that all divorcing parents complete an educational seminar prior to
the granting of a divorce. This production incorporates various cultural
aspects specific to its targeted audience and is 1 hour and 45 minutes
in running time.
The Commission was awarded grant funds from the Georgia Bar Foundation
to complete Padres del Divorcio and was produced by ROG Communications,
LLC. Since the production of the video, it has been distributed to all
159 superior courts throughout the state, as well as other minority
bar and service organizations. Now Georgia courts have a resource that
uniformly increases awareness and responsibilities to divorcing parents.
Please contact our office at 404-463-3927 for copies.
Guide to Bias-Free Communication
Biased language usually emerges because if assumptions and attitudes that are deeply embedded in our society. We use the term bias to refer to a predisposition or tendency to think about an act toward people mainly on the basis of characteristics such as race, gender, religion or nationality. It is often expressed in such subtle ways that one expressing such behavior is oftentimes unaware that such an occurrence has transpired. Our challenge is to be alert to ways of thinking, speaking, writing and acting that reflect bias; therefore prohibiting them from translating into overt bias behaviors. The Guide to Bias-Free Communication contains several suggestions for bias free communication and can be downloaded from this website. Additional copies are available from the Commission, 244 Washington Street, NE, Ste.300, Atlanta, GA 30334 or by calling (404) 463-3927.
Court Conduct Handbook
The Georgia Supreme Court constituted its Georgia Commission on Gender Bias in the Judicial System in March 1989. The Commission’s 1991 report concluded that sexist language and behavior were still common in Georgia’s courts. It also concluded that many practices and procedures, although unintentional and not motivated by bias, produced results that were perceived to be biased. As a result of the above report, the Commission on Equality reissued this handbook to be used as a guide by all court personnel in an effort to eliminate bias in all forms from Georgia’s courts. The Court Conduct Handbook was first written by the Women and Minorities in the Profession Committee of the State Bar of Georgia in conjunction with the Chief Justices Commission on Professionalism. It was reissued in 2001 and revised in 2002 by the Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Equality. Copies of the Handbook are available from the Commission, 244 Washington Street, SW, Ste 300 or the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, 104 Marietta St. NE., Atlanta, GA 30334.
Let Justice Be Done
Video and Teaching Guide
The Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Equality developed a training
video and accompanying teaching guide to raise sensitivity of judges
and other leaders in the judicial system to the subtle forms of gender
and race biased behavior. Let Justice Be Done has been presented
to the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia, the Chief
Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, the Atlanta Bar Judicial
Section and the Tenth Annual Meeting of the National Consortium of Tasks
Forces and Commissions on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Courts. Copies
of the video and training guide are available through the Commission
for a nominal fee by contacting Silvia A. Gaines at (404) 463-3927.
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