More than 200 Indiana prosecutors learned Friday, February 2, how to avoid bias in the courtroom and elsewhere, including racial prejudices and stereotypes.
“Implicit Bias – Fairness in the Criminal Justice Systemâ€, was sponsored by the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC) and presented by Rachel D. Godsil, co-founder of the Perception Institute and Professor of Law & Chancellor’s Scholar at Rutgers Law School.
“We all tend to be mistrustful of ways and attitudes that we don’t understand and that can, however unintended affect the judicial process,†said IPAC Executive Director David Powell. “Making prosecutors aware that biases can be an issue of fairness is important. The Prosecuting Attorneys Council agrees that this training fulfills a vital role in the judicial process.â€
The prosecutors learned ways to avoid biases that individuals may be unaware they possess:
- How our brains process racial paradoxes and polarization
- Research evidence of the impact of core conception interactions, evaluations, and decision-making, with particular emphasis on criminal justice work.
- Customized criminal justice scenarios to identify the role each phenomena plays in their own sphere of influence and to recognize the intervention that would lead to more positive outcomes.
- Strategies for intervening in the workplace and communications at both the interpersonal and institutional leve
