Measurably Improving Bias Training for the Justice System of New York: A Blueprint for the U.S.A.

The National Judicial College (NJC) will partner with Dr. Joseph A. Vitriol of Lehigh University and the court system of the state of New York to deliver an innovative project, "Measurably Improving Bias Training for the Justice System of New York: A Blueprint for the U.S.A." NJC will assemble an Advisory Committee to guide the roll-out in New York and ensure full participation of judges. A curriculum for an evidence-based transformational educational program will be prepared in conjunction with a Curriculum Development Committee. Judges in New York will be assigned to a course of study or control group in accordance with scientific methods. NJC will deliver the curriculum in three different modalities: in-person, online synchronous, and online asynchronous. They will conduct a rigorous evaluation of all courses of study, including pre-course baseline assessments, post-course evaluations and six-month follow up evaluations. NJC and partners will assess the effectiveness of the curriculum and produce a final report for national dissemination which will include recommendations, and a model curriculum based on the findings of the project. Every state will benefit from the lessons learned through this project as they strive to ensure that judges and other court service professionals deliver equal justice under the law to all citizens. The result of the project will be a blueprint for the entire country to build and translate research knowledge into transformative education that will improve the fairness of the justice system.