Racial justice in psycholegal research and forensic psychology practice: Current advances and a framework for future progress.

Abstract

Police killings of Black civilians have brought unprecedented attention to racial and ethnic discrimination in the criminal justice and legal systems. However, these topics have been underexamined in the field of lawpsychology, both in research and forensic-clinical practice. We discuss how a racial justice framework can provide guidance for advancing psycholegal research and forensic-clinical practice related to race, ethnicity, culture, and their intersections. A racial justice framework centers the goal of increasing fair and responsive treatment and just outcomes for the most vulnerable populations involved with the criminal justice, legal, and carceral systems and ending existing disparities. We argue that the framework should include the use of transparent nonobjectivity, in which racial justice is an explicit and acknowledged goal of research and practice that exists alongside a commitment to open and rigorous science and evidence-based practice. We then use the racial justice framework as a backdrop for discussing the articles and broader themes that appear in the special issue, which include racial biases in policing, public views of the police and use of force, expanding research on racial bias in lay judgments, understanding disparities in sentencing and corrections, and improving forensic practice. Finally, we look to the future, discussing practices and perspectives that can facilitate a racial justice approach in psycholegal research and forensic-clinical practice. Our recommendations include engaging in reflexivity and addressing positionality; expanding research questions and methods, especially qualitative and community-based participatory action research; centering and engaging with communities of color; greater emphasis on intersectionality; shifting toward structural and adaptive interventions; and greater integration of work from other fields. Public Significance StatementLaw-psychology research and forensic-clinical practice involving Black, Indigenous, and other people of color in the criminal justice and legal systems should be guided by a racial justice framework that emphasizes increasing fair treatment, racial and cultural responsiveness, and just outcomes, especially for the most vulnerable populations. The special issue on Racial Justice in the Criminal Justice and Legal Systems showcases innovative research and clinical perspectives that advance theoretical frameworks, inform potential interventions, and illustrate the benefits of a racial justice framework.

White mock jurors' moral emotional responses to viewing female victim photographs depend on the victim's race.

“…First, we extended the literature on gruesome photographs-which has primarily focused on White victims-to White mock jurors' reactions to photographs of victims of color. It is critically important to begin considering the ways in which intersectional identities impact mock jurors' emotional responses to a victim because the intersection of racism and sexism that is unique to women of color suggests that they might not have the same access to justice as their White counterparts (Collins, 2017;Hunt & Shepherd, 2023). Given that the majority of murder victims in the United States (60%) are not White (Statista, 2021) but the majority of jurors in the United States are White (Gau, 2016), cases that involve a non-White victim often will be judged by a jury that is made up (mostly, if not entirely) of White jurors.…”

“…That is, although White jurors might have a strong moral emotional response to seeing photographs of White female victims, they might not have the same response to non-White female victims. It is critically important (Hunt & Shepherd, 2023) to investigate how victim race might moderate a relatively well-established effect that has, to this point, been primarily investigated using photographs of a White victim.…”

Addressing mass incarceration amid a pandemic: Psychology informing decarceration as a racial justice and public health response.

“…Adopting antiracist practices proves particularly essential in the education and training of forensic and correctional psychologists. However, scholars have noted concerns that advocate efforts in the field may conflict with remaining “objective” or “neutral.” Regarding forensic psychology practice, Hunt and Shepherd (2023) note,The goals of rigorous and transparent practices in research, unbiased reporting of findings, and evidence-based clinical practices do not require complete neutrality…. It is not enough to study how race and ethnicity relate to treatment and outcomes in criminal justice, legal, and carceral context using perspectives and methods established by a predominantly White field.…”

“…The APA adopted a resolution to combat racism, addressing structural and institutional inequities within systems, including the criminal legal system (APA, 2021). Furthermore, within the field of psychology and law, there has been a call to action to integrate a racial justice framework into forensic clinical practice (Hunt & Sheperd, 2023). Hunt and Sheperd (2023) describe this framework as “centering the goal of increasing fair and responsive treatment and just outcomes for the most vulnerable populations involved with the criminal justice, legal, and carceral systems and ending existing disparities” (p. 3).…”

“…Furthermore, within the field of psychology and law, there has been a call to action to integrate a racial justice framework into forensic clinical practice (Hunt & Sheperd, 2023). Hunt and Sheperd (2023) describe this framework as “centering the goal of increasing fair and responsive treatment and just outcomes for the most vulnerable populations involved with the criminal justice, legal, and carceral systems and ending existing disparities” (p. 3). As the infection and death rate due to COVID-19 continues to climb in the United States, communities are trying to find solutions.…”