Many Massachusetts residents still face barriers in navigating the court system, particularly if English isn’t their first language or they are part of the deaf or hard of hearing community, according to a new report released Thursday.
The 52-page report called, “Justice Disrupted,” detailed unreliable interpreting services, lack of translated documents and multilingual signage as major problems in Massachusetts courts decades after state and federal laws were enacted to improve access, according to the report released by the Massachusetts Language Access Coalition.
Researchers took a few different approaches to gathering data for the study including surveys, focus groups and court-watching. Among findings, they found that 45% of people surveyed said that an interpreter never showed up for their hearing.
They also said that when an interpreter doesn’t show up, a person can file a complaint, but the complaint document is only available in English.
Authors offered nine recommendations to improve language access, including making standby interpreters available, increasing the number of multilingual help desks, and training court staff on cultural responsiveness.
“Our recommendations will ensure that all court users alike can truly access justice, no matter the language they speak,” the authors said in an online briefing.
The courts have started taking steps to improve language access. This includes looking to create an interpreter certification program with the National Center for State Courts, reviewing past policies and creating a new position to enhance the court experience.
But Iris Coloma-Gaines, a statewide law access attorney and co-author of the report, said there is a lot more to do.
“Our hope is really to engage and collaborate with the court and its ongoing efforts — an assessment and examination of the report recommendations to improve access to justice for deaf and hard of hearing and LEP court users and all court users,” she said.
