During the Listening Phase, to deepen their understanding of the issues identified by the Listening Tour and to gather feedback from the community, Advisory Board members presented to and interacted with varied groups and organizations. Following the Listening Phase, in November 2017, the Community Engagement in the State Courts Initiative Advisory Board (Advisory Board) surveyed a group of court and civic leaders active in efforts to reduce racial and ethnic bias in the state courts. The survey questions asked respondents to:
- Rank order the relative priority for action on 12 issues identified during the “Courting Justice Listening Tour” conducted by the Advisory Board
- Identify the key features of successful court and community engagement programs
- Share experiences participants have had in community engagement efforts
- Offer advice from respondents about how courts should engage with underserved and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities
One-hundred surveys were completed, a response rate of 24 percent. More than one-half (56 percent) of the respondents were serving or retired judges.
The results of the survey, along with the issues identified in the Listening Tour, were used to inform a call for proposals from state and local courts. Accompanying the call for proposals were documents created to assist courts in envisioning their public engagements, understanding issues identified in the Listening Tour, and choosing between specific forms of engagement.
