We believe every judge must have confidence in their personal security, and the safety of their families, as they work to deliver equal justice under the law. But new threats have emerged over the past decade that must be acknowledged, and addressed.
Our CEO, Ron Zayas, has written a whitepaper on this vital issue that offers potentially life-saving information for those who work in our criminal justice system.
What Court Administrators Need to Know About Court Security explains how threats against judges have evolved and increased. Instead of attacks at the courthouse, those with a grudge have increasingly switched their tactics to confrontations at a judge’s home, which also puts his or her family at risk.
Tragedies have resulted.
It makes sense when you think about it; homes do not have the security measures that courts have instituted, and nothing could be easier than finding out where a judge lives thanks to that information being readily available online from multiple sources.
What can a judge do to protect themselves?
There are privacy statutes in some states and others have legislation pending. The whitepaper details the specifics in these laws and what they will – and will not – accomplish.
What can be done about this ongoing danger? The whitepaper details the three options now available to courts when their personnel are at risk outside the workplace. Sadly, the one courts still embrace is doing nothing, even as biased social media posts like “Callous Judge Sent My Daughter to a Child Molester” are shared on platforms with millions of subscribers.
The good news is that between changing laws and more allocation of dollars for non-traditional threats, there is more help available today for judges and judicial officers than there has been in more than two decades.
If you are a judge this is information you need to know – and your court should be aware of it as well.
