Accessibility and Fairness of the Nevada Court System

Abstract

The two most basic tenets of the judicial system require access to justice and a fair process in reaching judgment. Thus this research sought to determine whether Nevada courts were accessible and fair. One might think, it is easy enough to determine by simply looking at who won or lost the case, however, it is not that simple. Research has shown that whether a person considers a court fair or not is less impacted by who won or lost a case, and more to do with the level of service and opportunity given them to tell their side of the story while participating in a case (Tyler, 1988). Nevada's judicial system is faced with unique challenges to providing fair and equal access to justice. Nevada's judicial system is non-unified, meaning each court is administered by local administrators and judges with no direct involvement from the Supreme Court of Nevada. In addition, Nevada's diverse geographical landscape and large rural counties present difficulties for courts to serve Nevada's citizens with fair and equal access to justice. To determine whether Nevada courts were accessible and fair 3,103 customers of the court, in rural and urban counties, were surveyed. Each respondent was asked to complete a survey of 15 questions to determine whether or not they agreed the courts were accessible and fair. Overall, the results of this research found Nevada courts are accessible and fair, but also showed areas where Nevada courts can improve their fair and equal access to justice.