Through this COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS AND CONFIDENTIAL SURVEY, the Southold Justice Review & Reform Task Force is seeking an understanding of key local issues that might impact the effectiveness and/or equity of the Town of Southold's Justice system.

We want to hear from you about how and whether the Southold Justice system treats people equitably and/or inequitably. 

Having completed Stage One of the process that focused on policing in Southold, Stage Two is an examination of the Town's Justice System post arrest. Stage 2 will focus on and address the treatment of individuals, including people of color and other marginalized groups upon contact with Town Justices, Justice Court personnel, the District Attorney, and public and private defense counsel. We would very much like to hear from you about how best, together, we can continue to build trust, cooperation, and safety.

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* 1. Have you ever had to appear in Southold Town Justice Court either for yourself or for someone else?

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* 2. In the course of the last year, how often have you been in the Southold Justice court?

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* 3. If you answered yes to question #1, what best describes your appearance? Check all that apply.

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* 4. If you answered yes to question #1, what was the type of case? If no, go to question #11. Check all that apply.

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* 5. For any of your appearances at court, were you arraigned?

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* 6. Were you represented by an attorney or did you represent yourself?

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* 7. If you answered yes to question #6, please skip to question #8. If you answered no, I represented myself, please specify why and skip to question #11.

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* 8. How would you characterize your interactions with your attorney? Check all that apply

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* 9. Did the attorney seem prejudiced/biased?

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* 10. If you answered yes to question #8, did you feel it was because of your:

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* 11. In order to come to court, did you receive any of the following forms of assistance?:
(Check all that apply)

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* 12. Have you ever considered taking a case to court but decided not to or did not appear in a matter for which you were supposed to? If no, go to question #15.

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* 13. If answered yes to question #12, please check all the reasons that applied to your decision not to take a case to court or appear in court:

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* 14. If you have a reason other than the options listed in question #13, please specify. If not, skip to question #15.

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* 15. Please identify the degree to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements as it relates to your experience with the Southold Justice System:

  Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree N/A
A) I felt the process was fair 
B) I felt my questions were answered 
C) I felt my voice was heard
D) The judge listened to my side of the story before making a decision 
E) I was consulted when setting the next court date
F) Court time is used efficiently
G) As I left the court, I understood what happened in my case
H) My experience in court has caused me to be less likely to request court assistance again if needed.

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* 16. I was treated with respect by ________

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* 17. If you felt you were not treated with respect, please identify which staff treated you this way

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* 18. I felt that I was treated with respect by the Southold ________

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* 19. If you answered that you felt respected in question #18, please briefly describe an interaction in which you felt respected

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* 20. Did you feel discriminated against in your experience in the Court? If no, please continue with question #23.

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* 21. I felt that I was discriminated against in my dealings with the Southold _____

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* 22. If you answered that you felt discriminated against in question #21, please briefly describe the incident that occurred

For those who have been the subject of criminal proceedings in Southold Justice Court please answer questions 23-33. If you were in Court for other subject matters, continue to question #34.

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* 23. Did your lawyer adequately prepare you for your arraignment?

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* 24. If you did not have a lawyer, were you informed of your rights to counsel?

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* 25. Were you informed of the formal charges against you?

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* 26. If you were offered a plea deal, did you feel it was fair?

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* 27. Did you feel there was an effort to get you to plead guilty for something you didn’t do?

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* 28. Did you feel the prosecutor was fair?

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* 29. Did the arraigning judge treat you with respect?

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* 30. Did the court personnel treat you with respect?

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* 31. In your opinion, was the process fair? If not, why?

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* 32. Did your case go to trial?

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* 33. When was the date of the trial? If you haven't had your trial yet, when is the proposed date?

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* 34. Over the last year, in your experience in this court, have you observed prejudice/bias in the treatment of:

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* 35. If you answered question #34, please describe the incident(s) that you felt were biased/prejudiced.

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* 36. Do you have any additional comments about your court experience(s)?

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