Court requires Hispanic probationers to enroll in pricey, subpar English classes, group tells DOJ
A court in suburban New Orleans is requiring some Hispanics to enroll in expensive English classes as a condition of probation, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The classes required by the 1st Parish Court of Jefferson Parish in Metairie do a subpar job of teaching English, the SPLC says in a letter (PDF) to the U.S. Justice Department. The Associated Press and the New Orleans Times Picayune have stories on the allegations by four traffic defendants who spoke with the SPLC about their experiences.
The English classes cost $235, plus $25 for a diploma printed from a website, $3 to process the diploma with the court, and $10 for a mandatory commemorative dinner. The classes “relied upon mocking and humiliating students, and did not usefully teach English,” according to the letter. And the teacher “seemed more dedicated to collecting money than to teaching the class.”
The Parish Court, which handles traffic and misdemeanor cases, also charged the defendants interpreter fees of $130 for each court appearance, the group says. The defendants said the interpreters seemed to rush and didn’t adequately summarize the proceedings. Three of the defendants didn’t realize they were being charged for the interpreters.
One defendant pleaded guilty to charges of driving without a license and failing to adequately secure her child in a car seat without realizing she was also pleading guilty to contempt for missing a court appearance. She also didn’t realize she had a probation officer, and she received a form summarizing requirements of probation that was written in English.
The Times-Picayune spoke with Naomi Tsu, deputy legal director of SPLC’s Immigrant Justice Project. She said the court is discriminating against limited-English speaking defendants on the basis of language and national origin. She also said the 1964 Civil Rights Act requires entities that receive federal funds to provide meaningful access to the courts and due process.
The group is asking the Justice Department to require the court to provide free interpreters and to eliminate the English-class requirement.
See also:
ABA Journal: “Justice moves slowly for those who need interpreters”
