Racial inequality persists chiefly through unconscious bias in people who believe themselves fair

Evidence

However, research, as well as current day-to-day experiences, shows that underlying structures are not the only source of harm; interpersonal dynamics matter (Godsil & Richardson, 2017). It may seem as though interpersonal dynamics linked to race are animated by explicit bias—which clearly exists within the CJS as well as within the larger society (Hoerner & Tulsky, 2019). Decisions and behavior animated by conscious contempt or hatred should obviously be subject to immediate sanction. But those incidents—hate filled and harmful as they are—are likely to account for only a small portion of the overall levels of difference linked to race and ethnicity. Rather, the most consequential challenge is when people who want to be and consider themselves fair make decisions, have reactions, and engage in behaviors influenced by unconscious processes that are themselves shaped by noxious stereotypes linking some groups to criminality and others to innocence (Godsil et al., 2014). — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1353

Categorization

• XREF: Directly serves the reading purpose: the sincere-conviction-vs-measured-bias gap in criminal justice — people who ‘consider themselves fair’ still act on biased unconscious processes. — connects to: Unintentional racial microaggressions flow from well-meaning whites who deny their own bias. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 1254
• ADDENDUM: Evidence for the conviction-vs-measured-bias divergence, linking to research on implicit measures in legal contexts.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 1353