Reforming the Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality Narrative – Using Implicit Bias to Expand the Discrimination/Disparity Dichotomy

• In Event: Roundtable: The Many Colors of Criminal Justice Reform

Abstract

For the better part of the last 75 years, the dominant discourse regarding the ever-present racial/ethnic disproportionalities in the criminal justice system has been rooted in a discrimination/disparity continuum. While some have argued that the over-representation of African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are representative of discriminatory acts within the criminal justice system, others have contended that actions within the criminal justice system are outside social and economic factors that are grounded in basic impartiality. Although this discrimination/disparity dichotomy has served the purpose of initiating an important dialogue on race/ethnicity in the criminal justice system, it has also limited the search for counter-narratives that expand the discourse. One recent development in the understanding of racial/ethnic discrimination is the examination of Implicit Associations, which measures the amount of intrinsic bias a person holds for one group of another. This talk will review the use of Implicit Association testing and the ways in which this analysis can enhance the understanding and narrative of racial/ethnic disproportionality.

Author

• Scott Bowman, Texas State University