By Muthoni Njagi | Kenyan Mind & Justice Digest | HealthHourTherapy | November 2025 Edition

November is here, which happens to be my favourite month of the year. Perhaps it’s because it’s my birthday month, or maybe because it always brings with it a quiet kind of reflection. This time, I’ve found myself thinking deeply about a topic that has shaped most of my adult life: Justice.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Justice is blind.”
It’s a comforting phrase. It paints a picture of fairness. It tells us that justice treats everyone equally, whether you’re rich or poor, known or unknown, weak or powerful.

She’s often depicted as a woman holding scales, blindfolded. It is the idea being that she doesn’t see faces or fortunes, only facts.

Sounds noble, doesn’t it?
Except… real life isn’t that neat.

When Justice Trips Over

Let me be honest. There are days I wish people didn’t know that I serve on the bench. The moment they find out, the questions begin:

“Why do affluent individuals escape large crimes?”
“Why do poor people end up in prison for small mistakes?”

And truthfully, I don’t always have a satisfying answer.

I’ve served for 13 years now, and I can tell you, being a Judicial Officer is one of the most thankless jobs on earth. You tell yourself you’ve handled a trial with care, delivered a sound judgment grounded in law, and then… you log into social media only to find you’re trending as “a corruption influencer” or “a biased magistrate.”

This past week, there was even a cringe-worthy scene in one of our courts. Advocates were protesting against some of my colleagues. My heart broke. Because beneath the robes and rulings are real people, trying their best to uphold something that’s often larger than life itself — justice.

As I was researching for this piece, I stumbled upon a quote that so resonated with me:

“Lady Justice is not blind. She is blindfolded. She is a prisoner; her scales are rigged, her promise a lie.”
— Emily Kimelman, Fatal Breach

Harsh words, yes. But perhaps there’s truth in them.

The Psychology of Bias: When the Mind Interferes with the Law

Every case is fact-specific, not issue-specific.
And every judge, no matter how experienced or disciplined, is still human.

Psychologists have long studied cognitive bias as the subtle, often unconscious ways our minds shape our decisions. Judges are not immune. Some of the most common biases include:

• Confirmation bias: We give more weight to evidence that fits what we already believe.
• Blind spot bias: Believing others are biased, but not ourselves.
• Overconfidence bias: Trusting too much in our own reasoning or experience.
• Affinity bias: Subconsciously favouring people who seem “like us.”
• Anchoring bias: Relying too heavily on first impressions or initial information.
• Hindsight bias: Believing, after the fact, that an outcome was obvious all along.

And then there’s the hardest one to talk about. The bias born of unhealed personal experiences. The parts of our stories we’ve buried deep, that quietly echo in the background when we make judgments about others.

The truth is, judges and magistrates rarely receive training on how to spot these biases within themselves. It’s not because we don’t care, it’s because our systems were never designed to make self-awareness part of the curriculum.

Why We Need Psychology in the Justice System

Bias training, where it exists, has received mixed reviews — some effective, many perfunctory. Too few states or institutions offer training that’s meaningful, ongoing, or engaging. Yet awareness is critical — especially in a time when public trust in institutions is thinning and polarization is deepening.

Every time a judge’s personality or past seeps into their decision-making, justice quietly crumbles.

That’s why I believe it’s time we integrate psychology into our legal processes.

Not as an afterthought, but as an essential companion. Imagine a judicial system where judges, magistrates, lawyers, and policymakers routinely undergo psychological education. Where they are learning not just the law, but the human mind behind every decision.

Because when justice understands psychology, she’s not blindfolded. She’s mindful.

The Humanity of the Bench

Serving on the bench has taught me that justice is not an abstract ideal. It’s deeply human, often messy, and always emotional. Some cases stay with you for years, especially those involving children, abuse, or loss. I can tell you of nights I couldn’t sleep, replaying the “what ifs” in my mind.

And yet, I wouldn’t trade this calling for anything else.

Because for all its imperfections, justice remains the heartbeat of a functioning society.

As We Step Into November

November, for me, is a reminder to look inward; to celebrate both justice and the humanity behind it. To remember that being fair doesn’t mean being blind. It means seeing clearly with empathy, awareness, and courage.

So, here’s to a new month of reflection, reform, and resilience.
Here’s to the ones behind the bench, doing their best with imperfect tools.
And here’s to a Justice System that sees and still chooses to be kind.

Happy November, my friends. 🌿