Pathway to Justice? The Role of Racial Bias Training in Modern Canadian Policing

• In Event: Views on Education and Technology in Policing

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of anti-bias trainings, tailored to the realities of law enforcement, the academic literature reveals a lack of research on the efficacy of these programs, particularly concerning their impact on both the police and the racialized communities they serve. The following study intends to address this gap by evaluating an anti-bias training module that emphasizes an exploration into racial trauma, mandated for newly recruited police officers in a local Canadian police agency. Utilizing a multi-methodological approach, this research assesses the degree to which engagement in this training increases officer’s understanding of the historical impact of racially biased police practices on Black communities. Pre-test/post-test survey results suggest, for most officers, training successfully increased their knowledge on the impact of racial bias and discrimination in Canada, implicit bias, as well as racial bias within Canadian policing. However, for a small minority of respondents, there was a lack of change in increasing knowledge of racism within the Canadian context, as well as a small but notable change in perceptions on the importance of fair and respectful interactions. Implications of these findings will be explored.

Authors

• Kanika Samuels-Wortley, Ontario Tech University

• Adriana Avraam, Ontario Tech University

• Vanessa N. Rhodes, University of Guelph