Demographic Bias in Child Custody Outcomes
Unconscious bias exists pervasively across society, and in the context of legal outcomes there is no exception. Due to its subtle traces, bias must be explored in multiple dimensions and in various legal instances in order to properly recognize it. This research aimed to explore any potential socioeconomic or racial bias in child custody determinations. This study provided 134 participants with a fictitious Child Protective Services report detailing alleged child neglect and later asked them to provide an opinion on the defendant’s potential punishment. The main outcome variable was on an 8-point Likert scale which asked how the defendant should be punished. Results proved to be insignificant in both the main effect for SES and race. The interaction effect was shown to be close to significance but remained insignificant (.1116). No significant bias towards race or SES in this legal context can be found.