Bias in Law

Abstract

Crime rates in America have been increasing over recent years and, in turn, so has the number of criminal cases that pass through the court system. If a criminal defendant cannot afford one for themself, a public defender will be provided for them. However, the public defender does not get to dictate which cases or clients they take on. This paper explores the level in which implicit bias may affect these attorneys in the court room. This is conducted through a series of surveys and correlational research which is then analyzed to determine the true extent to which one can suppress their implicit bias. Participants are deemed to be successful at suppressing their biases if they score a zero on the implicit bias test, which indicates little to no automatic preference for one subject matter over the other. It is proven that no matter how hard one tries, implicit bias is difficult and almost impossible to fully suppress, even for the trained attorney participants. Looking in future directions, this knowledge can be used to spark conversation and new research regarding biases in the judicial system.