Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2009
Keywords
Racial bias, Implicit association test, Criminal justice
Disciplines
Civil Rights and Discrimination | Criminal Law | Criminal Procedure | Judges | Law and Society
Abstract
Race matters in the criminal justice system. Black defendants appear to fare worse than similarly situated white defendants. Why? Implicit bias is one possibility. Researchers, using a well-known measure called the implicit association test, have found that most white Americans harbor implicit bias toward Black Americans. Do judges, who are professionally committed to egalitarian norms, hold these same implicit biases? And if so, do these biases account for racially disparate outcomes in the criminal justice system? We explored these two research questions in a multi-part study involving a large sample of trial judges drawn from around the country. Our results - which are both discouraging and encouraging - raise profound issues for courts and society. We find that judges harbor the same kinds of implicit biases as others; that these biases can influence their judgment; but that given sufficient motivation, judges can compensate for the influence of these biases.
Recommended Citation
Rachlinski, Jeffrey J.; Johnson, Sheri; Wistrich, Andrew J.; and Guthrie, Chris, "Does Unconscious Racial Bias Affect Trial Judges?" (2009). Cornell Law Faculty Publications. 786.
https://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/facpub/786
Publication Citation
Published in: Notre Dame Law Review, vol. 84, no. 3 (March 2009).
Included in
Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Criminal Law Commons, Criminal Procedure Commons, Judges Commons, Law and Society Commons