Deconstructing Racially Coded Language and Contextualizing Racial Profiling Data in the Courtroom: CA’s Racial Justice Act.

• In Event: Roundtable: Critical Perspectives in Policing

Abstract

California’s AB 256 – The Racial Justice Act – is a new law in California that allows the courts to examine the role of implicit bias and systemic racism in charges, convictions, and/or sentencing based on race/ethnicity or national origin. We’ll discuss some early experiences serving as an expert witness for the RJA, its potential for justice, and its potential to be a “racial project” (Omi & Winant).

Author

• Karen Suzanne Glover, California State University, San Marcos