Differential Use of Courts by Minority and Non-Minority Populations in New Jersey

• NCJ Number: 149226
• Author(s): S S Silbey; P Ewick
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 112 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: State Justice Institute
• Corporate Author: New Jersey Supreme Court
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services; State Justice Institute
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This survey describes the judicial practices of New Jersey's minority and nonminority population and examines problems which might account for racial/ethnic differences in court use.

Abstract

The results are based on 403 questionnaires completed by a demographically representative sample of New Jersey's population. The average number of problems with courts reported was 14; that number did not vary significantly by race or ethnicity. However, particular minorities reported experiencing certain problem situations more frequently than other groups. In general, respondents found the legal system effective, although their opinion of the courts' accessibility and fairness was lower. Especially African-Americans rated the legal system more negatively with regards to effectiveness and fairness. Yet blacks and Hispanics reported that they preferred formal institutions to informal means of handling their problems. In fact, nonwhites consistently described themselves as more willing to involve the courts than whites. Throughout the analysis, there was as much variation among different minority groups as there was between whites and nonwhites. This variation suggests that social analyses tend to overemphasize the differences between whites and nonwhites while neglecting the considerable differences between the different minorities. 47 references