Implicit Racial Bias Across the Law by
Despite cultural progress in reducing overt acts of racism, stark racial disparities continue to define American life. This book is for anyone who wonders why race still matters and is interested in what emerging social science can contribute to the discussion. The book explores how scientific evidence on the human mind might help to explain why racial equality is so elusive. This new evidence reveals how human mental machinery can be skewed by lurking stereotypes, often bending to accommodate hidden biases reinforced by years of social learning. Through the lens of these powerful and pervasive implicit racial attitudes and stereotypes, Implicit Racial Bias across the Law examines both the continued subordination of historically disadvantaged groups and the legal system's complicity in the subordination.
Enhancing Justice by
Enhancing Justice: Reducing Bias was written by an exceptional and diverse team of authors, all with expertise relevant to understanding and improving implicit biases. Judges, lawyers, social scientists, professors, and experienced trainers worked together to bring cutting-edge research and thinking to this effort. The result offers both perspective and practical advice from their disciplines and their collaboration. While not all the authors would agree on each possible approach, the focus is on best practices, as we know them today, which can enable courts to lessen the impact of implicit bias. The book seeks to help "break the bias habit" by increasing knowledge and awareness of implicit bias, improved understanding and practice of procedural fairness and of culturally competent communication across cultures, and a sustained commitment to mindfulness.
In this interactive training, participants will learn about how the implicit biases we all harbor affect our careers, professional relationships, and work with the communities we serve. Participants will gain a better understanding of how and why implicit bias exists and learn how to both identify their own implicit biases and have an increased awareness of those biases when making decisions.
The Harvard Implicit Association Test for race reveals racial bias by measuring the amount of time it takes an individual to make an association between two concepts displayed as either words or images. So, for example, a person with implicit bias against African Americans might take longer to associate the word “good” with a Black face than with a White face.
Karen DeMeola, UConn School of Law, Assistant Dean for Finance, Administration, and EnrollmentKaren DeMeola is the Assistant Dean for Finance, Administration, and Enrollment at UConn School of Law and is a past president of the Connecticut Bar Association. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from UConn and her J.D. from UConn Law. After graduation from law school, Karen was a civil rights litigator whose practice focused primarily on employment discrimination, police brutality, and housing discrimination. While at UConn Law, she has served as an adjunct professor teaching Critical Identity Theory and Diversity & Inclusion in the Legal Profession. Karen has presented on numerous panels, symposia, and conferences on diversity, inclusion and belonging, implicit bias, intersectionality, and inclusive leadership. She has created numerous pipeline projects, including the CBA Pathways to Legal Careers Pipeline. Karen is a Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation.
Karen has been recognized for her work by the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, Connecticut Law Tribune, Connecticut Italian American Bar Association, Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity, and University of Connecticut School of Law Alumni Association.
Karen serves on the boards of the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, the Connecticut Legal Rights Project, and Family Equality (emeritus).
Tanya M. Johnson, UConn School of Law, Reference Librarian Tanya provides reference services, including research assistance and instruction, to all library patrons. She is also an adjunct professor, teaching Advanced Legal Research and Diversity & Inclusion in the Legal Profession. She earned her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as an editor on the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and her M.L.I.S. from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Prior to her library work, Tanya practiced law at large and mid-size law firms, specializing in First Amendment law and complex litigation, and served as a Deputy Law Clerk for a Justice on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.