Description
Book SynopsisRacial bias in the U.S. criminal justice system is much debated and discussed, but until now, no single volume has covered the full expanse of the issue. In Bias in the Law, sixteen outstanding experts address the impact of racial bias in the full roster of criminal justice actors. They examine the role of legislators crafting criminal justice legislation, community enforcers, and police, as well as prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, judges, and jurors. Understanding when and why bias arises, as well as how it impacts defendants requires a clear understanding how each of these actors operate. Contributions touch on other crucial topics—racialized drug stigma, legal technology, and interventions—that are vital for understanding how the United States has reached this moment of stark racial disparity in incarceration. The result is an important entry into understanding the pervasiveness of racial bias, how such bias impacts legal outcomes, and why such impact matters. This is an issue that is as relevant today as it was fifty—or even one hundred fifty—years ago, and collection editors Joseph Avery and Joel Cooper provide a glimpse at how to proceed.
Trade ReviewA timely and important volume from the leaders of the field. Highly recommended! -- Daniel Gilbert, Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Harvard University
A who’s who of experts on our society’s persistent tragedy of life-and-death proportions. This collection systematically analyzes bias at each step of legal involvement, with the field’s best minds documenting the many serious issues and some hopeful solutions. -- Susan T. Fiske, Eugene Higgins Professor, Princeton University
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 - The Criminal Justice System as an Instrument of Oppression: A Social Dominance Perspective (by Jim Sidanius, Gregory Davis, and Asma Ghani)
Chapter 2 - A Telephone Game: How Racial Bias Affects 911 Calls (by Oana D. Dumitru and Tessa V. West)
Chapter 3 - Implicit Bias, the Power of Institutions, and How to Reduce Racial Disparities in Policing (by Rebecca C. Hetey)
Chapter 4 - Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Prosecution, and What Can be Done to Change the Status Quo (by Besiki Luka Kutateladze)
Chapter 5 - Racial Bias, the Defense, and the Challenge of Understanding (by Andrea D. Lyon and Mortimer Smith)
Chapter 6 - Biases in Judicial Decision Making (by Naci Mocan)
Chapter 7 - The Effects of Racial Bias and Jury Diversity on Juror Decision Making (by Amanda Nicholson Bergold and Margaret Bull Kovera)
Chapter 8 - Racial Disparities in Drug Sanctions: Sources and Solutions (by Ojmarrh Mitchell)
Chapter 9 - Technology in the Legal System: Uses and Abuses (by Joseph Avery and Joel Cooper)
Chapter 10 - Promoting Fairness? Examining the Efficacy of Implicit Bias Training in the Criminal Justice System (by Rachel D. Godsil)
Index
About the Authors
