Missouri judge education to include racial bias training

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri judges will receive bias training after reports of racial disparity in the handling of some juvenile cases, the state's chief justice said Wednesday.

Chief Justice Patricia Breckenridge in her State of the Judiciary address said training will be included in mandatory judicial-education programs.

The announcement comes after the U.S. Department of Justice last year released a report that found black youths were subjected to harsher treatment in St. Louis County juvenile cases.

"Even a perception that justice is contingent on the color of one's skin or the part of the state one comes from should concern us all," Breckenridge said, "no matter who we are or where we live."

The state Supreme Court created the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in October to study the justice system and make recommendations for change, she said, also touting changes made to local courts after another federal report that found Ferguson's municipal court practices were profit-driven.

The federal report was issued after the fatal police shooting of black 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson in August 2014 and led to a state law that limits how much revenue cities can keep from court fines and fees.

After Ferguson, the high court also issued a rule to require more time for people who are unable to pay big municipal court fines.

Breckenridge, like her predecessor Judge Mary Russell, again noted efforts to increase access to court information, citing a pilot program that lets users track court cases with electronic notices of upcoming hearings or other activity.

Lastly, Breckenridge said she's working with House Speaker Todd Richardson on ways to expand access to drug-treatment courts.

"We have more to do," Breckenridge said. "We know treatment courts work, but they aren't available to everyone who could benefit from them."