VOLUME 45, NUMBER 1 THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERIC AN PROBA TION AND P AROLE A SSOCIA TION WWW .APP A -NET .ORG2 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 45, NUMBER 1 One of my responsibilities as APPA President is to make a small contribution to Perspectives by writing a “President’s Message” for each issue. I always look forward to doing this, but this quarter Perspectives is tackling a very tough, but important topic. I believe that this is the most powerful issue of Perspectives that I’ve seen in the last 20+ years that I have been a member of APPA. The truth is: the criminal justice system is broken, and as Marcus Hodges discusses in his article, “Reforms are past due at every stage of the process.” I believe it is time to stop talking about it, admit we have a problem and commit to a solution. As Nike says, “Just Do it!” Let’s make that change. I have been working in the criminal justice system for almost 40 years and the problems I saw as a “rookie cop” in the late 70s still exist today. I admit that I have not done my share to deal with this horrific problem. I have heard so many say that the problem of racism exists everywhere else, but not in our agencies, communities, or states. We all need to face the truth and admit that racism exists in some way in all agencies, communities, and states. According to the American Bar Association, “We all have biases that affect all aspects of our lives and the lives of others with whom we interact. Having a bias doesn’t make you a bad person, however, and not every bias is negative or hurtful. It’s not recognizing biases that can lead to bad decisions at work, in life, and in relationships.” Seeing the daily news of the racism that exists in our country makes me sick to my stomach! How many times do we have to see someone of color mistreated, injured, or even killed before we stand up and do something? Please take the time to read this entire issue of Perspectives. It truly has opened my eyes and now I must do my part and be proactive. I ask that you do the same. If you see something, say something, and do something about it! Thanks, president’s message TIM HARDY PRESIDENT 4 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 45, NUMBER 1 from the executive director The articles in this issue call for fair and equal treatment in the justice system. Some would argue that many of our efforts to date have been just chipping away at a problem that needs to be confronted head-on. I saw some suggested keywords of “diversity, ethics, workplace, reform” for Lindsay Jayawardena’s article. An argument could be made that other keywords for this issue as a whole could include “unconscious bias, inequity, and trauma.” Sometimes it feels like there is a timeclock of apprehension ticking away while we hope that the message of “enough” has finally sunk in and that we’ll never again hear of tragedies like George Floyd. Details differ, but the core problems of fear, misperception, and overreaction—on the part of officers, victims, or both—usually seem to play a prominent role. We rely on our law enforcement partners, but— as in our community corrections agencies—each police force is made up of individuals with bravery, gallantry, and kindness but also prejudices, flaws, and fears. Let’s strive to address prejudices and fears, both systemically and internally. Let’s reexamine our own decision-making. And let’s not be blinded to even the smallest instances of bias. Justice demands it. I recently saw a quote of the day from Fred Rogers. “There are three ways to ultimate success. The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” Right now, for us the first way is to be just. The second way is to be just. The third way is to be just. In “A Word on Statistics” by poet Wislawa Szymborska, her rather cynical lines about justice caught my attention. She thought the number of just people out of every 100 was “quite a few at thirty-five” but dropped to three “if it takes effort to understand.” While I do not believe the percentage of just people is anywhere near that low, I do think that it takes effort to understand what is just. Szymborska also said that the number of people wise in hindsight was “not many more than wise in foresight.” I hope that’s not true of us, and that the events of this last year will lead to real and meaningful change. Each article in this issue has information that will increase our understanding and offers suggestions to put us on the right path. Please read them carefully. I recognize that the subject of unconscious bias and the pain of confronting it may be challenging. VERONICA CUNNINGHAM APPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 6 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 45, NUMBER 1 editor’s notes On Injustice and Inequity The year 2020 was tremendously challenging on many fronts. We were confronted with something humanity had not seen in recent times—worldwide spread of a highly contagious and potentially lethal virus. The pandemic impacted lives and livelihoods in so many different ways. To a similar degree, racial injustice and inequity in the criminal justice system rose to the forefront of our collective attention. These issues, unlike the novel coronavirus, are not new at all. They were prevalent on our home front before we were even a nation. As sure as criminal justice systems have varied over time and from nation to nation, so too have injustice and inequity existed within those systems. Although the pandemic of injustice and inequity has long endured, it seems to traverse through time all too unnoticed until it rears its head and gets people to take notice after sentinel events. Society then commences discussion about the core issues and the best remedy. It also becomes a political issue— and, even then, some continue to say nothing needs to be done, ignoring the data that show otherwise. In 2020 and 2021, we again witnessed sentinel events that brought issues of racism, injustice, and inequality to light. We have a duty to recognize the importance of these issues and challenge our processes in a way that will meaningfully address them. We must not allow them to again shrink away out of our line of vision only to reemerge, as they inevitably will, by way of more tragedy. This issue of Perspectives continues the important discussion of inequity and injustice in the criminal justice system. Members of the APPA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee led by DeBaja Coleman and Marcus Hodges have compiled articles framing these critical issues in ways that can assist staff in acknowledging and effectively dealing with them. JASON STAUFFER ASSESSMENT AND CLASSIFICATION SERVICES SUPERVISOR, TREATMENT SERVICES DIVISION, BUREAU OF REENTRY COORDINATION, PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS KIMBERLY R. KRAS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY7 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION editorial board CO-CHAIRS JASON STAUFFER Assessment and Classification Services Supervisor, Treatment Services Division, Bureau of Reentry Coordination Pennsylvania Department of Corrections 1920 Technology Parkway Mechanicsburg, PA 17050 Phone: (717) 361-4300 KIMBERLY R. KRAS, PHD, San Diego State University Department of Criminal Justice School of Public Affairs 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182 Phone: (619) 594-1158 BOARD MEMBERS: Eileen Ahlin, PhD, Penn State Harrisburg Ansley Dille, Utah Administrative Office of the Courts Lauren Duhaime, Bureau of Justice Assistance/George Mason University Phillip Galli, University of Wisconsin-River Falls Lily Gleicher, PhD, Robina Institute/DePaul University Shelley Johnson, PhD, University of North Carolina Charlotte Jennifer Lanterman, PhD, University of Nevada Reno Sarah Manchak, PhD, University of Cincinnati Katie Meyer, Evident Change Carrie Ross, Yavapai County Adult Probation David Sattler, Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts Reveka Shteynberg, PhD, California State University San Bernardino Renea Snyder, Public Health Advisor Mark Stodola, NHTSA Probation Fellow David Taylor, Montgomery County (OH) Probation Reyna Cartagena Vasquez, CSOSA Jill Viglione, PhD, University of Central Florida Melissa Waldock, Kansas Department of Corrections Susan Wright, Pennsylvania Counseling Services Marcus Hodges starts our readers off with a compelling article highlighting how inequity impacts the various points of contact within the criminal justice system. In Racial Inequities and Our Need for Change, Hodges cites data and provides examples of how inequity inflicts its injury, beginning with policing and continuing all the way through post-release supervision. Loronda Giddens continues the discussion with Racial Inequities: A Tale of Two Justices, providing recommendations on reform measures that community corrections agencies can take to eliminate their respective racial injustice footprints. Two articles are included that we hope will challenge our Perspectives audience to take critical self-evaluations and be instrumental in helping others to do the same. Robbyn-Nicole Livingston and Malkia Crowder provide us with Implicit Bias: What is it and How Does it Affect Us?, an informative piece in which they define and describe implicit bias and the myriad ways it appears in the justice system. In 12 Steps to Having Courageous Conversations about Race, Toi James describes concrete steps and additional resources that can guide staff in reflecting on biases and communicating with others while acknowledging the work it takes to eliminate such biases. Finally, we are pleased to provide our readers with an article by a Carver County Court Services (MN) Probation Agent, Lindsay Jayawardena. In A Call to Action in the Year of Racial Reckoning, Jayawardena challenges all probation and parole agents/officers to examine and purposefully change their advocacy and actions in ways that can positively impact injustice. As you read this important issue of Perspectives, we hope that you take an honest look at yourself, your work, and your agency and that you will engage in the deep and difficult--but critically necessary--work of repairing and restoring our justice system. 8 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 45, NUMBER 1 instructions to authors Perspectives disseminates information to the American Probation and Parole Association’s members on relevant policy and program issues and provides updates on activities of the Association. The membership represents adult and juvenile probation, parole, and community corrections agencies throughout the United States and abroad. Articles submitted for publication are screened by an editorial committee and, on occasion, selected reviewers, to determine acceptability based on relevance to the field of criminal justice, clarity of presentation, or research methodology. Perspectives does not reflect unsupported personal opinions. Articles must be emailed to ith the following deadlines: Unless previously discussed with the editors, submissions should not exceed 12 typed pages, numbered consecutively, and double-spaced. All charts, graphs, tables, and photographs must be of reproduction quality. Optional titles may be submitted and selected after review with the editors. All submissions must be in English and in American Psychological Association (APA) Style. Authors should provide a one-paragraph biography, along with contact information. Notes should be used only for clarification or substantive comments, and should appear at the end of the text. References to source documents should appear in the body of the text with the author’s surname and the year of publication in parentheses, e.g., to (Mattson, 2015, p. 73). Alphabetize each reference at the end of the text using the following format: Mattson, B. (2015). Technology supports decision making in health and justice. Perspectives , 39 (4), 70-79. Hanser, R. D. (2014). Community corrections (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. While the editors of Perspectives reserve the right to suggest modifications to any contribution, all authors will be responsible for, and given credit for, final versions of articles selected for publication. Submissions will not be returned to contributors. Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences American Correctional Association Association of Paroling Authorities International Association of Women Executives in Corrections AZ Chief Probation Officers Association AZ Probation Parole and Corrections Association Chief Probation Officers of CA Confederation of European Probation County Chief Adult Probation and Parole Officers Association of PA Crime Prevention Coalition of America / National Crime Prevention Council Dismas Charities, Inc. FL Association Of Community Corrections IJIS Institute IN Association of Community Correction Act Counties International Community Corrections Association Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision KS Association of Court Services Officers Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association MN Association of Community Corrections Act Counties MN Association of County Probation Officers MN Corrections Association National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies National Association of Probation Executives New England Council on Crime and Delinquency New York State Probation Officers Association New Zealand Association of Probation Officers NY State Council of Probation Administrators OH Chief Probation Officers Association OR Juvenile Dept. Directors’ Assn. PA Association of Probation, Parole and Corrections Probation and Community Corrections Officers Association Probation Association of New Jersey Probation Officers Association of Wielkopolska Probation Officers Professional Association of IN San Bernardino County Probation VA Community Criminal Justice Association VA Probation and Parole Association WV Association of Probation Officers appa affiliate members9 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION table of contents RACIAL INEQUITIES AND OUR NEED FOR CHANGE BY: MARCUS M. HODGES A TALE OF TWO JUSTICES BY: LORONDA C. GIDDENS, MA IMPLICIT BIAS: WHAT IS IT AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT US? BY: ROBBYN-NICOLE LIVINGSTON, & MALKIA CROWDER TWELVE STEPS TO HAVING COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE BY: TOI B. JAMES A CALL TO ACTION IN THE YEAR OF RACIAL RECKONING: PROBATION AND PAROLE AGENTS BY: LINDSAY JAYAWARDENA 14 30 42 57 67 departments 10 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 12 APPA CORPORATE MEMBERS featuresNext >