Court processes and testimonial credibility

Black gun violence survivors and homicide-bereaved families encounter further layers of inequity when cases proceed through the courts. Black individuals involved in the criminal justice system, whether as accused, witnesses, or victims, are subject to credibility assessments shaped by racial stereotypes with deep historical roots in Canadian legal culture (Owusu-Bempah & Jeffers, 2021). Homicide-bereaved families describe being poorly informed about procedures, excluded from meaningful participation, and confronted with defense strategies that criminalize the character of their deceased loved ones, a practice disproportionately applied in cases involving Black victims, framing their deaths as less innocent and therefore less grievable (Sharpe, Bailey, et al., 2024; Collins, 2014). For Black gun violence survivors called as witnesses or seeking recognition as victims within proceedings, racial disparities extend beyond accused persons to those presenting as victims, with Black individuals more likely to have their character and credibility questioned and their victimization treated as ambiguous (Carlin, 2016; Cooke, 2023)