NCJ Number
158178
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 19 Issue: 5 Dated: (October 1995) Pages: 465-480
Date Published
1995
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Secondary analyses of data from a survey of Illinois judges and attorneys were conducted to explore the importance of gender, role as judge versus attorney, experience with bias, and age in predicting perceptions of gender bias in the courtroom.
Abstract
The mailed survey was conducted by the American Bar Foundation for the Illinois Task Force on Gender Bias in the Courts. The survey included 819 judges, or whom 7-8 percent were female; usable responses came from 351 judges. A total of 913 attorneys responded from the total sample of approximately 3,000. Three dimensions of bias were identified: presence of bias, optimism (belief that bias is decreasing), and instrumental bias (use of biased behavior as a trial tactic). Results revealed that although role, age, and experience had some importance in explaining the scores on these three factors, gender offered the greatest predictive power. Each of the dimensions of bias may stem from different sources and suggest different remedies for the problem of discrimination. Finally, ending bias in courtroom dynamics may come more quickly from the strict of enforcement of codes of judicial and attorney conduct rather than attempts to educate and change prejudicial attitudes. Tables and 24 references (Author abstract modified)