Methodologies for Measuring Judicial Performance: The Problem of Bias

<p>Concerns about gender and racial bias in the survey-based evaluations of judicial performance common in the United States have persisted for decades. Consistent with a large body of basic research in the psychological sciences, recent studies confirm that the results from these JPE surveys...

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Main Authors: Jennifer Elek, David Rottman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law 2014-12-01
Series:Oñati Socio-Legal Series
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ssrn.com/abstract=2533937
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author Jennifer Elek
David Rottman
author_facet Jennifer Elek
David Rottman
author_sort Jennifer Elek
collection DOAJ
description <p>Concerns about gender and racial bias in the survey-based evaluations of judicial performance common in the United States have persisted for decades. Consistent with a large body of basic research in the psychological sciences, recent studies confirm that the results from these JPE surveys are systematically biased against women and minority judges. In this paper, we explain the insidious manner in which performance evaluations may be biased, describe some techniques that may help to reduce expressions of bias in judicial performance evaluation surveys, and discuss the potential problem such biases may pose in other common methods of performance evaluation used in the United States and elsewhere. We conclude by highlighting the potential adverse consequences of judicial performance evaluation programs that rely on biased measurements.</p> <hr /><p>Durante d&eacute;cadas ha habido una preocupaci&oacute;n por la discriminaci&oacute;n por g&eacute;nero y racial en las evaluaciones del rendimiento judicial basadas en encuestas, comunes en Estados Unidos. De acuerdo con un gran corpus de investigaci&oacute;n b&aacute;sica en las ciencias psicol&oacute;gicas, estudios recientes confirman que los resultados de estas encuestas de evaluaci&oacute;n del rendimiento judicial est&aacute;n sistem&aacute;ticamente sesgados contra las mujeres y los jueces de minor&iacute;as. En este art&iacute;culo se explica la manera insidiosa en que las evaluaciones de rendimiento pueden estar sesgadas, se describen algunas t&eacute;cnicas que pueden ayudar a reducir las expresiones de sesgo en los estudios de evaluaci&oacute;n del rendimiento judicial, y se debate el problema potencial que estos sesgos pueden plantear en otros m&eacute;todos comunes de evaluaci&oacute;n del rendimiento utilizados en Estados Unidos y otros pa&iacute;ses. Se concluye destacando las posibles consecuencias adversas de los programas de evaluaci&oacute;n del rendimiento judicial que se basan en mediciones sesgadas.</p> <p><strong>DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN</strong>: <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=2533937" target="_blank">http://ssrn.com/abstract=2533937 </a></p>
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spelling doaj.art-6f2a37e0dbed4fa1bd7a2670023f0c7d2022-12-21T23:55:46ZengOñati International Institute for the Sociology of LawOñati Socio-Legal Series2079-59712014-12-0145863879343Methodologies for Measuring Judicial Performance: The Problem of BiasJennifer Elek0David RottmanNational Center for State Courts<p>Concerns about gender and racial bias in the survey-based evaluations of judicial performance common in the United States have persisted for decades. Consistent with a large body of basic research in the psychological sciences, recent studies confirm that the results from these JPE surveys are systematically biased against women and minority judges. In this paper, we explain the insidious manner in which performance evaluations may be biased, describe some techniques that may help to reduce expressions of bias in judicial performance evaluation surveys, and discuss the potential problem such biases may pose in other common methods of performance evaluation used in the United States and elsewhere. We conclude by highlighting the potential adverse consequences of judicial performance evaluation programs that rely on biased measurements.</p> <hr /><p>Durante d&eacute;cadas ha habido una preocupaci&oacute;n por la discriminaci&oacute;n por g&eacute;nero y racial en las evaluaciones del rendimiento judicial basadas en encuestas, comunes en Estados Unidos. De acuerdo con un gran corpus de investigaci&oacute;n b&aacute;sica en las ciencias psicol&oacute;gicas, estudios recientes confirman que los resultados de estas encuestas de evaluaci&oacute;n del rendimiento judicial est&aacute;n sistem&aacute;ticamente sesgados contra las mujeres y los jueces de minor&iacute;as. En este art&iacute;culo se explica la manera insidiosa en que las evaluaciones de rendimiento pueden estar sesgadas, se describen algunas t&eacute;cnicas que pueden ayudar a reducir las expresiones de sesgo en los estudios de evaluaci&oacute;n del rendimiento judicial, y se debate el problema potencial que estos sesgos pueden plantear en otros m&eacute;todos comunes de evaluaci&oacute;n del rendimiento utilizados en Estados Unidos y otros pa&iacute;ses. Se concluye destacando las posibles consecuencias adversas de los programas de evaluaci&oacute;n del rendimiento judicial que se basan en mediciones sesgadas.</p> <p><strong>DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN</strong>: <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=2533937" target="_blank">http://ssrn.com/abstract=2533937 </a></p>http://ssrn.com/abstract=2533937Judicial Performance Evaluationjudgesmeasurementprejudice and discriminationEvaluación del rendimiento judicialjuecesmediciónprejuicio y discriminación
spellingShingle Jennifer Elek
David Rottman
Methodologies for Measuring Judicial Performance: The Problem of Bias
Oñati Socio-Legal Series
Judicial Performance Evaluation
judges
measurement
prejudice and discrimination
Evaluación del rendimiento judicial
jueces
medición
prejuicio y discriminación
title Methodologies for Measuring Judicial Performance: The Problem of Bias
title_full Methodologies for Measuring Judicial Performance: The Problem of Bias
title_fullStr Methodologies for Measuring Judicial Performance: The Problem of Bias
title_full_unstemmed Methodologies for Measuring Judicial Performance: The Problem of Bias
title_short Methodologies for Measuring Judicial Performance: The Problem of Bias
title_sort methodologies for measuring judicial performance the problem of bias
topic Judicial Performance Evaluation
judges
measurement
prejudice and discrimination
Evaluación del rendimiento judicial
jueces
medición
prejuicio y discriminación
url http://ssrn.com/abstract=2533937
work_keys_str_mv AT jenniferelek methodologiesformeasuringjudicialperformancetheproblemofbias
AT davidrottman methodologiesformeasuringjudicialperformancetheproblemofbias