The Power of Addressing Shame: The Pursuit of Justice and Unconscious Bias
By Kelli Grant
Kelli Grant created unconscious bias training addressing shame.
Decision-making in the criminal justice system has become a topic of mainstream conversation related to racial equity. Community corrections officers make decisions directly impacting lives of clients they serve.
I am a previous employee and current advisory board member for my local community corrections department which guides the department on practices, funding, and program performance.
Recently, the advisory board was given an evaluation stating minority clients were revoked sooner on technical violations than white clients. These results could be influenced by many factors. One likely factor is implicit bias of officers making revocation recommendations. To increase awareness, I offered to develop and deliver a training on implicit bias.
I asked practitioners about implicit bias training experiences. Each white practitioner (the majority) reported feeling shame and guilt, stating this prevented productive engagement in training. The Pursuit of Justice: Unconscious Bias training recognizes and addresses shame through activities highlighting disparities in clear ways and are interactive activities that highlight privilege and stereotyping.
Addressing shame creates a space for education. The education component is focused on historical and present-day race issues, with focus on issues in the criminal justice system. After the educational component has been delivered, only then will participants voluntarily discuss their implicit bias results taken before training.
Delaying discussion about individual results is strategic to gain greater understanding of how all practitioners are operating from bias, and awareness of bias is one key to equitable decision-making.
Providing a safe environment acknowledging and addressing shame, coupled with a clear educational message on social constructs of race issues, gives participants a productive framework for engaging in conversation about their results. This innovative approach will produce a deeper understanding of racial issues and increase awareness of each officer’s individual contribution to systemic change.
““Providing a safe environment acknowledging and addressing shame, coupled with a clear educational message on social constructs of race issues, gives participants a productive framework for engaging in conversation about their results.” —Kelli Grant #PowerToChangeStories ”
Kelli Grant is the Owner of Grant Consulting and Coaching, LLC; Doctoral Candidate. https://www.facebook.com/kelli.jonesgrant; https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelli-grant/