The following comments are just a snapshot of the numerous troubling comments made by various Shelby County, Tennessee, court judges that were captured and later published by Just City Court Watch volunteers.

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself. At 31 years old, you should be getting your life together.”

“Just keep your mouth shut. I can keep you in jail for 10 days for nothing but running your mouth, so keep that in mind.”

Founded in 2015, Just City is a nonprofit based in Memphis that works to transform policies and practices within the criminal legal system through three primary initiatives. The Clean Slate initiative helps guide individuals through the records expungement process, there’s a community bail fund for defendants detained pretrial, and the Court Watch volunteer program provides a window into county court proceedings, creating a greater sense of transparency for the general public. In doing so, the Court Watch volunteer program has gradually gained momentum in holding judges accountable and dispelling myths about how the court operates and the ways that judges treat defendants and their lawyers.

How Do Court Watch Volunteers Hold Judges Accountable?

During sessions, Just City Court Watch volunteers jot down direct quotes from judges that highlight areas of necessary improvement and points deserving of praise. The Court Watch volunteers that observe cases score judges on a rubric, measuring sensitivity toward defendants, willingness to treat defendants with dignity, how well they ensure open access to the court, timeliness, neutrality, and other characteristics. In Tennessee, judges are elected positions with uniquely long terms, making them beholden to voters in order to gain their seats. However, once in these positions, judges often make decisions with little impunity and run their courts in ways that the public rarely sees. Court Watch volunteers pull back the curtain, while also offering concrete recommendations to each of the judges they spend hours observing. Suggestions for improvement range from the more easily fixable, “could take less phone and coffee breaks” or “could use less callous language,” to the deeply rooted, “Treat Black and white defendants equally.”

In July, Prism spoke to Just City’s Court Watch volunteer program manager, Yonée Gibson, about her work, the most striking insights from her observation of judges, and the importance of opening up courts to public scrutiny.

This Q&A is part of a series, Prison in 12 Landscapes, featuring companion pieces from Ray Levy Uyeda and Tamar Sarai, running through September and is organized to introduce readers to subjects beginning with the most—and easing into the least—proximate to prisons’ material form. You can read through the full series here.

Read the full article about court watch volunteer programs by Tamar Sarai at Prism Reports.