Published on: Friday, July 24, 2020

In New Jersey, 55% of prison inmates are Black. Incarcerated youth, also disproportionately Black, can remain plagued by court fines into adulthood. In custody matters, Black children wait longer to get a permanent home. These are some of the disparities in the state's judicial system that the New Jersey Supreme Court has recognized in recent months, after the death of George Floyd sparked a racial reckoning around the world.

The Supreme Court announced a yearlong action plan, laying out steps it says will make the judicial system fairer for people of color, from ensuring more diverse, impartial juries to reducing probation terms and removing fines that keep people tied to the judicial system long after rehabilitation.

Judge Glenn A. Grant, acting administrative director of the courts, said the Supreme Court has been working to improve racial equity in the courts for years, most notably with the elimination of cash bail in the state, but the recent social unrest gave them an opportunity to reaffirm that commitment with specific goals and actions (additional information available here).