Categories: Politics

How fair are judges? Sociologist speaks clearly: “We often make decisions based on prejudices”

class=”sc-29f61514-0 fwWrRV”>

1/5
People have prejudices that subconsciously influence their decisions, says sociologist Adrian Itschert.
Katharina Siegrist

Adrian Itschert, do judges make fair decisions?
I can’t say whether they decide fairly. What I can say is that people have biases that unconsciously influence their decisions. That’s what you call it unconscious bias – i.e. unconscious perception errors.

Article from the “Observator”

This article was first published in the paid offer of beobachter.ch. Blick+ users have exclusive access as part of their subscription. You can find more exciting articles at www.beobachter.ch.

This article was first published in the paid offer of beobachter.ch. Blick+ users have exclusive access as part of their subscription. You can find more exciting articles at www.beobachter.ch.

Where do these come from?
Some bias makes perfect evolutionary sense. Everything that looks like us and that we know means less danger. And in our daily lives we save a lot of time if we make decisions as we know them, because it seems obvious to us. This can also lead to judges punishing people who are somewhat foreign to them and whose situation they find difficult to empathize with.

Shouldn’t we do something about it?
Naturally! But the problem doesn’t just affect judges. Take, for example, a company that consistently fills its middle management with white men in their early 40s. From the company’s perspective, this even makes sense somehow. After all, new people will integrate quickly, network with each other and collaborate smoothly. That’s economical. But this leaves minorities and women behind.

Adrian Itschert’s research topics at the University of Lucerne include the sociology of inequality and the sociology of mass media.

What could help?
Awareness campaigns to raise awareness of the risks of prejudice Attracting attention is often of little use. Those affected often see this as a form of guilt, as a way to re-educate them. In the worst case, this can even lead to unconscious biases being reinforced. Usually only what you do voluntarily is successful.

It sounds like you have to unconscious bias just accept it.
The good news is – unconscious bias are extremely flexible! Just a few good experiences can make them change. It would therefore be important to have the opportunity for such new experiences – for example by allowing judges to have contact with migrants outside the courtroom.

More about justice
The judge abroad
Andreas Zünd condemns Switzerland
More money means better cards
Swiss legal system under scrutiny
When parents separate
How lawyers give children a voice

How do you measure? unconscious bias anyway, and how do you notice that you yourself are unconsciously biased?
You will be measured using a questionnaire. You notice that you are one unconscious bias What happens is when expectations are disappointed that you later feel ashamed about. Such as, for example, that you associate gender or skin color with expectations that you have never formulated. Then you are surprised that people have skills that you did not expect from them.

Advertisement

Source:Blick

Share
Published by
Livingstone

Recent Posts

Terror suspect Chechen ‘hanged himself’ in Russian custody Egyptian President al-Sisi has been sworn in for a third term

On the same day of the terrorist attack on the Krokus City Hall in Moscow,…

1 year ago

Locals demand tourist tax for Tenerife: “Like a cancer consuming the island”

class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/4Residents of Tenerife have had enough of noisy and dirty tourists.It's too loud, the…

1 year ago

Agreement reached: this is how much Tuchel will receive for his departure from Bayern

class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/7Packing his things in Munich in the summer: Thomas Tuchel.After just over a year,…

1 year ago

Worst earthquake in 25 years in Taiwan +++ Number of deaths increased Is Russia running out of tanks? Now ‘Chinese coffins’ are used

At least seven people have been killed and 57 injured in severe earthquakes in the…

1 year ago

Now the moon should also have its own time (and its own clocks). These 11 photos and videos show just how intense the Taiwan earthquake was

The American space agency NASA would establish a uniform lunar time on behalf of the…

1 year ago

This is how the Swiss experienced the earthquake in Taiwan: “I saw a crack in the wall”

class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/8Bode Obwegeser was surprised by the earthquake while he was sleeping. “It was a…

1 year ago