On what basis, ITEC?

February 7, 2010 by Edmund Gall

The Indo-Trinbago Equality Council's (ITEC's) Devant Maharaj, via his Letter to the Editor, called upon the Chief Justice and Law Association to investigate Justice Herbert Volney's concern about the risk of racial bias in jury trials. I have two concerns with this letter.

Firstly, I could find no links to published reports of Justice Volney making such statements on the Internet. I could only find reports related to Justice Volney's concern about a particular jury and racial bias was not a reported issue.

Secondly, when making public statements, we need to take due care such statements have a sound basis, even those that appear to be cliches. This is why I wish to highlight ITEC's use of the following statement in its letter: "Given the disproportionate number of Indo-Trinidadians who are the victims of crime, the idea that racial considerations can influence and inform the deliberation of criminal juries is one which can spread panic and fear and lead to a loss of confidence in the criminal justice system."

Can ITEC please publish the reference(s) to the research it used to determine that a "disproportionate number of Indo-Trinidadians ... are the victims of crime ..."?

My concern is that such a statement, if not based on proper measurement, can become embedded in the public's mindset as a 'true fact' when it may not be so. In this respect, ITEC risks becoming no better that the protagonists of racial discrimination it battles against.

Bookmark/Search this post with: