Judicial Education

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During one of the first cases that I have watched in the Poughkeepsie County Court, the clerk called a case number. Instead of the defendant, his attorney stood and addressed the court. “Unfortunately, your honor, I have nothing further to add this morning, as I was informed by my client’s family that he was detained by ICE this morning.” The judge and the audience fell silent. The teenagers behind me, who had been talking and making fun of the court proceedings all morning, also fell silent. This is the first time I had heard of a situation like this happening in the Poughkeepsie community. 

I go to court once per week, and the number of those who are Hispanic make up almost 30-40% of the docket on any given day. It seems like the time that the Spanish-speaking interpreter has attended the criminal courtroom has increased since January. Even so, some of the individuals may not really understand the charges against them because judicial terms are hard to understand in general, not to mention in a foreign or second language in which they are not entirely proficient. For me as a Latina woman, it is especially jarring to see individuals in the Latiné-communities struggle to understand their next steps due to communication barriers. But though there may be private Spanish-speaking lawyers, their fees are likely expensive, and the public defenders’ caseload seems already overburdened. 

There are many immigrants in the mid-Hudson region of New York, and in the courtrooms it is possible that they struggle to understand the charges and consequences of court proceedings in the American legal system. Whether immigrants have visas or are undocumented,all have the right to a fair trial under the U.S. constitution. The courtroom’s process is a complicated one, and cases can drag on for years. While all court proceedings need to be understandable to anyone accused of a crime, it seems especially important to ensure that those in Spanish-speaking communities receive the judicial education and resources they need to receive a fair hearing.