Grits For breakfast had an
interesting link to a study done on cognitive bias;
psychologists were hired to give their opinion on the likelihood that certain
defendants, accused of sex crimes, would re-offend. Those that were told they
were being paid by the prosecutors tended to assess them at a higher risk;
those told the defense had hired them assessed at a lower rate.
It would be fascinating to see how
these numbers match up to known recidivism rates of those convicted of sex
crimes, but none of the articles available seem to go into that much depth. It
was a small study, but it underscores what common sense indicates; that
objectivity is subjective. Since both the defense and the prosecution are going
to generate a bias in their experts, that they would be evenly matched, but
only if you ignore the basically limitless resources of the State pitted
against one individual.
The Prosecutors are not spending
their own money; their lives and earning ability are not disrupted by criminal
charges; they’re presenting cases to judges who, generally speaking, were
prosecutors at one time as well, in front of a jury that’s likely to hold those
involved in the justice system in a position of sainted reverence.
It would be interesting to know the
degree of this cognitive bias in individuals who are regularly involved with prosecution;
does the bias against the opposing side grow with prolonged association? Fiona
Stephenson springs instantly to mind, the social worker who assessed the child
in Coy vs. Texas; in an article about the Children’s Assessment
Center way back in 1998 she stated,
"...it
affects their adult lives forever -their marriages, personality disorders,
alcohol and drug abuse. When you hear about somebody that’s got multiple
problems, you can always count on the fact they’ve been sexually
abused..."
"...There
are days you feel everyone in the world is doing this to their kids. You have
to remember that we're here and we're helping."
1 comment:
I am a 40 yr old woman who grew up on spm musicn love him and his real rap till I die. I have 4 kids. 3 boys ranging from age 18-12. I have a 17 yr son who is a die hard fan. And I love how my boy sees the truth behind this little scnk girls lies. Spm has been in prison for a long time and it breaks my heart. I used to be employed by tdcj and it brought me such joy t h at spm still did his thing while being caged up like an animal he is not....anywayy prayers and my love to the coy family. Spm always playing on my phone. Peace
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