< Previous40 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 44, NUMBER 4 McIntosh, K., Ellwood, K., McCall, L., & Girvan, E. J. (2017). Using discipline data to enhance equity in school discipline. Intervention in School and Clinic, 53, 146– 152. National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2016). National Child Traumatic Stress Network Position Statement: Racial Injustice and Trauma: African Americans in the U.S. Retrieved from National Education Association (2016). Discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline. Representative Assembly Policy Statement. Retrieved Okonofua, J. A., Paunesku, D., & Walton, G. M. (2016). Brief intervention to encourage empathic discipline cuts suspension rates in half among adolescents. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113, 5221–5226. O’Neal, L. (2020, May 30) George Floyd’s mother was not there, but he used her as a sacred invocation. National Geographic. Retrieved from Gelb, M. (2013, August 13). Racial disparities still mar probation, parole despite 14% decline: Report. Center on Media Justice at John Jay College: The Crime Report. Retrieved Hirschfield, P. J. (2008). Preparing for prison? The criminalization of school discipline in the USA. Theoretical Criminology, 12, 79–101. Hoeben, E. M., & Weerman, F. W. (2016). Why is involvement in unstructured socializing related to adolescent delinquency? Criminology, 54, 242–281. Kim, C., Losen, D. J., & Hewitt, D. T. (2010). The school-to-prison pipeline. New York, NY: New York University Press, Kenney, A. (2021, January 18). Colorado reexamines ketamine rules after Elijah McClain’s death. CPR News. Retrieved from Kovera, M. (2009). Racial disparities in the criminal justice system: Prevalence, causes and a search for solutions. Journal of Social Issues, 75. 4, 1139-1164. doi: 10.1111/ josi.12355 Lacey, C. (2013). Racial disparities and the juvenile justice system: A legacy of trauma. Los Angeles, CA, & Durham, NC: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. Retrieved from 41 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION Sedlak, A. J., & McPherson, K. (2010). Survey of Youth in Residential Placement: Youth’s Needs and Services. SYRP Report. Rockville, MD: Westat. Retrieved from The Sentencing Project (2016). Stop Solitary for Kids (2021). Web posting. See Struyk, Ryan (2020, September 20). Kamala Harris: We do have two systems of justice. 42 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 44, NUMBER 4 WHAT IS IT AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT US? BY: ROBBYN-NICOLE LIVINGSTON, & MALKIA CROWDER43 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION What is implicit bias? Is it conscious or unconscious? Is it learned or is it instinctive? Is it racism? Alternatively, is it just … prejudice? Implicit bias means all of these things. Implicit bias is defined as “a bias or prejudice that is present but not consciously held or recognized” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). We do not act solely on instinct. We act or respond to what we have learned in our family systems and our environment. We adjust our attitudes and our beliefs based on familial and societal norms, tending to believe what we learn and accumulating biases and beliefs that are both conscious and unconscious. What does all of this mean in regard to how implicit bias affects our lives and our community? Well, biases What is implicit bias and how does it affect the world around us? In 2021, our world, our global community, looks very different, but many things remain the same as they were 20 years ago. Racial conflicts have taken center stage. Polarizing viewpoints and disproportionate outcomes have continued to separate Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) from the dominant culture. Written by: Robbyn-Nicole Livingston, MA and Malkia Crowder affect attitudes, behavior, relationships, and the way we carry out interpersonal communication and interactions with others. The way we communicate and interact affects our homes, schools, workplaces, government, criminal justice system, and everything in between. As community partners, we can see how implicit bias leads to disproportional treatment, especially concerning Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). These inequities lead to a myriad of issues, including discriminatory hiring practices, undereducation, underemployment, and a separate and unequal justice system. Jolis & Sunstein’s article on the Law of Implicit Bias states: 44 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 44, NUMBER 4 Considerable attention has been given to the Implicit Association Test (IAT), which finds that most people have an implicit and unconscious bias against members of traditionally disadvantaged groups. Implicit bias poses a special challenge for antidiscrimination law because it suggests the possibility that people are treating others differently even when they are unaware they are doing so (2006). In striving to build a better community, we need to develop and implement strategies to overcome implicit biases. As a starting point, we must begin to initiate difficult conversations—or at the very least not avoid them. In doing so, we must be open to discussion on race, racism, and unequal justice. Racism is, of course, not new, but it is troubling how persistent it is in an ostensibly egalitarian multiracial society. Moreover, the disheartening and harmful consequences of racism continue to be on display, as seen in law enforcement encounters and efforts to disenfranchise some voters. When asked about his personal experience with racism, actor Will Smith discussed being stopped and harassed by police— and being the target of their racial slurs including “the n-word”—over 10 times while growing up in Philadelphia. In his words, “Racism is not getting worse, it’s getting filmed.” (The Hollywood Reporter, 2016). What happened to Smith occurs daily in communities across the United States. Data has shown that Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) are contacted for minor infractions and suffer abuse and detrimental treatment by police at disproportionately higher rates compared to White people (Crutchfield, 2012). Police brutality, arrests, incarcerations, and criminal justice policies nationwide have been shown to be discriminatory (and even persecutory) towards BIPOC (Crutchfield, 2012; Fryer, 2020; MappingViolence.com; Schleiden et al. 2020; The Sentencing Project, 2016). In 2021, the fight against disenfranchisement continues. In districts across the country, lawmakers are attempting to enact archaic gerrymandering policies that would further reduce voting access for BIPOC. “After historic turnout and increased mail-in voting in 2020, state lawmakers across the country are pulling in the opposite direction by introducing restrictive and expansive voting legislation.” (www.brennancenter.org). 45 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION These biased policies are examples of implicit bias. In Georgia and other states, we have to stand up and speak out against discriminatory policies that violate the 14th Amendment, which states, “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall …. Deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Inspired by the explosion of incidents of police brutality against Black men and women, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, the Reverend Fred Jeff Smith, pastor of the historic Shiloh Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said “the senseless death and indefensible cruelty, this time under the cover of law enforcement, leading to deaths resulting from: driving while Black, riding while Black, shopping while Black, playing while Black, eating while Black…” cannot be explained (as quoted in Pratt, 2020). There is no justice policy that could even remotely warrant the deadly excessive force that keeps recurring. What about bird watching, jogging, or just coming home from work while Black? Why is it that BIPOC citizens in their daily lives are viewed and treated so negatively instead of being given the same protections as their White counterparts? How is it that these terrible injustices are allowed to continue? We offer to you that it is because of implicit bias. People of color are simply not seen in the same light. Since the beginning of time, there have always been struggles between dominant and non-dominant groups. People prejudge others based on past beliefs. Antiquated belief systems result in barriers meant to keep out or hold down people of color. For example, in Georgia, Republicans passed a “sweeping new law that will dramatically roll back access to the ballot box” (Stuart, 2021). This legislation was in response to the narrow victory of President Biden over Donald Trump after the 2020 Presidential election. With the passage of this law, Black voters in Georgia will have a harder time voting and registering to vote. This law also criminalizes “line-warming,” a practice where food and water are offered to people standing in long lines in the scorching Georgia heat. Over the past 10 years, officials in Georgia have closed polling places in predominantly Black precincts, causing people to stand in line for hours to vote (Stuart, 2021). 46 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 44, NUMBER 4 Where Do We Go from Here? What is the remedy to overcome injustice and inequality? As with any treatment model, the first steps to solving a problem is to admit a problem exists. Negative ideas strengthen over time. We must implement strategies to overcome these biases. Our conscious bias usually means people say (and do) what they mean; our unconscious bias means people are In 2021, does it matter where you live? Is there a magical place where implicit biases and racial injustices do not exist? The answer is both yes and no. In the U.S., where you live does matter. Police killed Black people at higher rates than White people in 47 of the 50 largest U.S. cities (mappingviolence.com). Figure 1. Black-white disparity in killings by police from 2013-2020 (mappingviolence.com) 47 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION unaware of those preconceived notions that negatively portray a particular group. There are five strategies we as community partners can utilize to overcome implicit bias, including objective criteria, standard processes, difficult conversations, exposing bias, and inclusive listening. 1. Objective Criteria The first strategy is to assess bias with objective criteria. The Harvard University Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a tool used by individuals and corporations that measures “attitudes and beliefs that people are unwilling or unable to report” (Project Implicit Social Attitudes, n.d.). This test may indicate someone’s propensity to associate character traits with gender or race. For example, you may meet an applicant or co-worker and An image from the “I, Too, Am Harvard” photo campaign. 48 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 44, NUMBER 4 assume that individual excels at STEM tasks because of Asian American ancestry. On the other hand, you see an applicant’s resume and you assume the name belongs to a Black woman and you are skeptical about whether she would fit into your agency’s culture. According to the IAT researchers, “it is an effective tool for raising awareness about implicit bias” (Project Implicit Social Attitudes, n.d.). This is just one of several different assessments offered that involve questions on gender, disabilities, weapons, and race, among others. 2. Standard Processes The second strategy to overcome implicit bias is to employ standard processes. For example, it might be an appropriate course of action to remove an applicant’s name and other identifying characteristics from employment applications/resumes. That places the focus on job-specific traits instead of aspects of a candidate’s appropriateness. Our biases, both conscious and unconscious, affect hiring practices and thus promotional opportunities. If there is a perception of bias among those in the workplace, with the dominant group forming stereotypes and assumptions about certain other groups, then it is difficult for them to make objective and fair judgments about an individual member from that group. Standard processes help reduce unconscious bias. By acknowledging that implicit bias exists in our everyday lives, we are also acknowledging that biases affect an employee’s work performance and a student’s school performance. What about the educational arena? Education is a high priority, and our society looks at educational achievements as a way to measure success. In addition, educational levels are directly related to socioeconomic levels (American Psychological Association, n.d.). Moreover, teachers are often perceived as being committed to creating a positive learning environment in which our children are nurtured, cultivated, and helped to transition to positive and productive members of society. It can thus be quite disconcerting to think that educators, those who have devoted their lives to teaching and encouraging children, 49 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION may see BIPOC children as less deserving, less intelligent, and less capable compared to White children (Austin, 2019). The Kirwan Institute for the Study and Race and Ethnicity indicates, “These implicit biases, positive or negative, don’t reflect our conscious beliefs about students; they can still have an impact on their educational outcomes” (Kirwan Institute, n.d.). Here, the research team conducted two studies that recorded children’s behavior while they were playing with toys and other children. They rated the children’s imaginative play/creativity. The study found that the perception of school readiness was influenced by the student’s race. For Black children specifically, those students with highly imaginative play were seen as less academically prepared and less accepted by the peers. The study also examined how teaching styles were influenced by unconscious biases and determined how engaged the teacher was with the student. Fortunately, the study concluded that if properly addressed, unconscious bias could be interrupted and prevented from negatively affecting the learning environments further by translating into microaggressions. 3. Difficult Conversations A third strategy to overcome implicit bias is to commit to having difficult conversations. If you do not know, ask. To acknowledge preconceived ideas and engage in meaningful conversations is the key to overcoming implicit bias. All of us are products of our family systems. Our family systems have values and Next >