Uno University Criminal Justice Biases Discussion and Responses

ELIMINATING BIAS
TWO TED-TALKS
? https://www.ted.com/talks/verna_myers_how_to_overcome_our_biases_walk_boldly_towar
d_them?language=en (17:49)
? https://www.ted.com/talks/yassmin_abdel_magied_what_does_my_headscarf_mean_to_you?la
nguage=en (13:44)
HARVARD UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN
STUDYING IMPLICIT BIAS.
What is implicit bias?
? An implicit bias is any unconsciously-held set of associations about a social group.
? Implicit biases can result in the attribution of particular qualities to all individuals from that
group, also known as stereotyping.
? Implicit biases are the product of learned associations and social conditioning.
Implicit Association Test measures unconscious bias.
ACCORDING TO THE HARVARD IMPLICIT BIAS
STUDY, WE ALL HAVE BIASES.
MY RESULTS:
I have an implicit preference for White people.
THE TRUTH IS, WE ARE ALL BIASED, AND
WE ALL USE STEREOTYPES, ALL THE
TIME, WITHOUT KNOWING IT.
BIASES ARE THE STORIES WE MAKE UP
ABOUT PEOPLE BEFORE WE ACTUALLY
KNOW WHO THEY ARE.
STEREOTYPES MAY EMERGE FROM
WHAT SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS CALL
IN-GROUP/OUT-GROUP DYNAMICS.
AND WHILE WE TEND TO SEE MEMBERS
OF OUR OWN GROUP AS INDIVIDUALS,
WE VIEW THOSE IN OUR OUT-GROUPS
AS AN UNDIFFERENTIATED?
STEREOTYPED?MASS.
BUT, WHERE STEREOTYPES AND BIASES ARE
NOT APPROPRIATE ARE IN WRITING INCIDENT
REPORTS, MISCONDUCT REPORTS, POLICE
REPORTS, OR ANY OTHER REPORTING THAT
MIGHT BE USED IN A COURT OF LAW.
THE JUDGE, THE PROBATION OFFICER,
THE DEFENDANT, AND THE EMPLOYER
DO NOT GIVE THE SAME
EVALUATION/MEANING TO SUCH
TERMS. SO YOU EITHER NEED TO DEFINE
TERMS LIKE THIS OR YOU NEED TO
UNPACK THEM AND BE SPECIFIC.
BE CAREFUL OF WHAT WORDS YOU USE TO
DESCRIBE SOMEONE OR THEIR BEHAVIORS.
?
?
?
?
Use people-first* language.
Minority is sometimes used as short-hand for non-White ancestry, so avoid the term.
References to a disability are extraneous unless it is relevant to the report.
Be specific rather than descriptive.
? Choose words carefully. Words like bad or normal have alternatives (good/abnormal) that can reveal a writer?s
personal feelings.
? Use a specific age range vs. elderly or senior.
? Be specific regarding cultures or ethnicities.**
? Avoid gender assumptions.***
Biased language refers to words and phrases that are considered prejudice, offensive and hurtful ? expressions
that demean or exclude.
WE WILL TALK MORE ABOUT BIASES AND
HOW WE CAN KEEP OURS OUT OF OUR
WRITING, ESPECIALLY WHEN WRITING
REPORTS THAT HAVE A POTENTIAL FOR
ENDING UP IN A COURT OF LAW ? OR ON
SOMEONE?S PERMANENT RECORD ?
OR JUST IN GENERAL. LET?S MAKE IT A
PRACTICE.
o
Grace DeMay
Yesterday
Vinny Ferraro, who was mentioned in the second article had a pretty interesting story. Being in criminal justice and having gone through courses
about juvenile delinquency I’ve seen how it only takes one person to completely change a trouble kids life. The majority of disobedient children just
haven’t been shown acceptance, love, and the ability to be vulnerable which is why it’s important to have an unbiased opinion. Everyone is capable of
change and Vinny’s story shows that.
Verna Myers had three main ideas to improve bias. She was mainly addressing black men, but her ideas umbrella all races and stereotypes. Firstly,
stray from trying to be colorblind, and I think she’s right. People think that ignoring color can help discrimination, but as she had said, it’s more so
about what we do when we see color than not seeing color at all. Ultimately, the first step is facing our biases rather than ignoring or denying them.
Secondly, she believes we need to (literally and figuratively) move closer to those who we have bias towards. Not to the point that we’re putting
ourselves in danger, but just challenging the preconceived ideas we might have. Lastly, we have to have the courage to speak up. Staying quiet
probably is the biggest reason bias and racism are passed down from generations. I liked the way Verna delivered this speech because it was real and
raw. She didn’t sugarcoat anything.
I thought that the TED talk given by Yasmin Abdul-Magied was very enlightening because pretty much many examples she listed of unconscious
biases were ones that I could relate to. For example, when she told the story about a boy going into a hospital for surgery and that the surgeon
couldn’t operate because the boy was the son. Even just now when I typed that sentence, my computer suggested that I correct ?the son” to “his son”.
Although “the son” isn’t grammatically correct, why didn’t it say “her son”? Just as the computer did, I had instantly assumed that the doctor was a
male.
It’s hard to reflect and admit (especially out load) on your own personal biases. If I see someone homeless, I instantly attribute either drugs, poor
mental health, or lack of money as to why they’re on the streets. We know that there are times where that is the case, but to instantly think of those
things isn’t fair. I think the most effective way to get rid of unconscious biases is to challenge what we think we know, just as Verna said.
o
Caylee Botos
Yesterday
Hi everyone,
Examples of very common biases that I have and see others have would be ageism, beauty bias, halo effect, horns effects, and conformity bias. I feel
like there are a lot of other biases that we see as well. I see a lot of people show colorism too.
Ageism is stereotyping or discriminating against others based on their age. We see this happen in workplaces very often: Beauty bias is the favorable
treatment and positive stereotyping of individuals who are considered more attractive. This is also something we see very often. People who are
“better looking” tend to get treated better than people who would be considered “less better looking”. Although this is a very common bias, I do
believe that beauty is within the eye of the beholder and that everyone has different tastes. The halo effect occurs when we develop an overall
positive impression of someone because of one of their qualities or traits. This is very commonly seen and can be easily done. I think the beauty bias
can play a part in the halo effect. If someone has bad skills but has a good quality trait, like being good-looking, then that bad skill trait can be ignored.
The horns effect is the opposite of the halo effect, this bias causes us to have a negative impression of someone based on one trait or experience.
This is seen especially towards people who have made a mistake with the law in their past. Even though they have many good traits, those can be
overlooked if they were to have spent a year in jail, and that time spent locked up overweighs the good. Conformity bias is the tendency to seek out
and use information that confirms one’s views and expectations. This can affect the way we think about and view things all because of opposing
views. Colorism is a form of discrimination based on skin tone. We have seen many instances of this happening within the courts. For example, if a
black man and a white man committed the same crime, the black man would be looked at as worse or more violent just because of the color of his
skin. We see colorism a lot today, often do people see people of color as more “aggressive” or “intimidating” just because they are colored, and it’s not
right.
I experience having the ageism bias, the beauty effect, and the horns effect. I thought the articles and videos were very interesting and informational.
I think learning about things most of us do unconsciously is super fascinating, hence why I am minoring in psychology,
Additional Sources-
Asana. (n.d.). 19 unconscious bias examples and how to prevent them asana. Asana. Retrieved January 31, 2022, from
https://asana.com/resources/unconscious-bias-examples e

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