Implicit bias reconciles lived experience with officers’ denial of intent

Evidence

The decisions and behavior stemming from implicit biases are undoubtedly critically important—but our evaluation of the social science research and our work on the ground with stakeholders in the CJS suggest that bias does not tell the full story. Rather, while bias is a part of the story, three intersecting phenomena come together at the crucial decision points and interactions in the criminal justice process: (1) implicit bias—the automatic association of stereotypes and attitudes toward particular groups (Banaji & Greenwald, 2013), (2) racial anxiety—the concerns people often experience prior to and during cross-group interactions (Tropp & Page-Gould, 2014), and (3) stereotype threat—the fear of confirming a negative stereotype about one’s group (Steele, 2010). — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1356 (#complicates, via linked claim)

With the participants now often eager to understand the link between this simple exercise and race and ethnicity, trainers explain that implicit biases are not personal but are automatic associations that follow from stereotypes learned from culture, society, and one’s environment. Trainers often emphasize that the fact that biases are implicit does not mean that they dictate our actions, but to prevent them from doing so, we need to be aware that they are operating (Kirwan, 2018). The Stroop test offers an opportunity to show this—by engaging in the exercise a second time and slowing down, participants are able to complete the test successfully and experience themselves overriding their learned behavior. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1362 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Implicit bias alone insufficiently explains racial inequity in criminal justice outcomes — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 1356; Fear, stress, fatigue, and ambiguity erode officers’ bias-override capacity — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 409; Implicit bias operates below awareness and resists admission even when perceived — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 666 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Implicit bias alone insufficiently explains racial inequity in criminal justice outcomes #complicates (0.78) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1356
• Implicit biases can be consciously overridden through deliberate attention #complicates (0.73) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1362