Consensus Question #2 - Today’s question is related to bias. The current League of Women Voters of Illinois position is stated below, followed by the updated consensus study questions on this topic.

Consensus question 2. Bias In The Criminal Justice System

Existing position: NONE

Consensus Question:

Should there be periodic training for individuals working in the criminal justice system to recognize implicit racial and ethnic bias in order to more adequately work toward the goal of equal treatment under the law?

PRO: The Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform recommends: “Require periodic training on recognizing implicit racial and ethnic bias for individuals working in the criminal justice system, including but not limited to law enforcement officers, prosecutors, public defenders, probation officers, judges, and correctional staff.”

Because our criminal justice system is predicated on the importance of equal treatment under the law, it is imperative that the significant racial disparities that exist in the justice system be addressed.

From the Ohio State University’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity report titled “Understanding Implicit Bias”: Implicit bias refers to the “attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.” Implicit biases are malleable. Our brains are incredibly complex, and the implicit associations that we have formed can be gradually unlearned through a variety of debiasing techniques.

Because implicit bias can be addressed and changed, this training should be made available as widely as possible to ensure that equal treatment under the law becomes a more achievable goal.

CON: Broad-based training detracts from the work that employees are hired to do. This training is sometimes ineffective and therefore not worth the expense.

The Ohio State report states “..implicit associations that we have formed can be GRADUALLY unlearned...” Periodic anti-bias training will be a waste of time. The criminal justice system is more than biased. It is racist. It is quite possible that not only is such training a waste of public resources, it might have the opposite effect on already biased individuals in the criminal justice system.

RESOURCES
PRO
How Dehumanization, the Confirmation Bias, and the Vividness Effect Perpetuate Racism –LWV Wheaton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KQH4xd8lrk&feature=youtu.be

The Ohio State University’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity report: Understanding Implicit Bias
http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/research/understanding-implicit-bias/

CON

Hidden in Plain Sight: Racism, White Supremacy, and Far-Right Militancy in Law Enforcement

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/hidden-plain-sig... supremacy-and-far-right-militancy-law

Mandatory Implicit Bias Training Is a Bad Idea

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/rabble-rouser/201712/mandatory-i... bad-idea

Talk by Jahmal Cole, My Block, My Hood, My City July 2020

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=560667494608467

If you would like more information on this question, please contact Di Niesman, LWV of Wheaton at dniesman [at] aol.com.