Training Description
Implicit biases, which exist within our subconscious, are especially difficult to control and can have dire consequences for criminal justice professionals tasked with enforcing the law, sentencing, and supervising individuals in prison and within the community. However, implicit biases can be unlearned through a gradual process associated with debiasing techniques. Debiasing refers to a wide variety of techniques, methods, and interventions that are designed to eliminate or lessen potential errors, distortions, and other mistakes in the criminal justice professional’s thinking, judgment, and decision-making of another’s race, ethnicity, and other cultural stereotypes.
Trainer Biography
Dr. Michael Pittaro is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice with American Military University and an adjunct professor of criminal justice with East Stroudsburg University and Northampton Community College. Before pursuing a career in higher education, Dr. Pittaro worked in corrections administration; has served as the Executive Director of an outpatient drug and alcohol facility; and as Executive Director of a drug and alcohol prevention agency. He has been teaching for the past 18 years while also serving internationally as an author, editor, and subject matter expert. Dr. Pittaro holds a BS in Criminal Justice (Who’s Who Among University Students – 1989); an MPA in Public Administration (Summa Cum Laude); and a PhD in criminal justice (Summa Cum Laude). He is a single father who resides in Nazareth, Pennsylvania with his two sons (Dakota and Darrian).
Learning Objectives
At the end of this training you will be able to…
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- Discuss implicit bias and how it stems from lived experiences.
- Assess how implicit biasness negatively affects racial and ethnic minorities
- Apply debiasing skills to identify and change how we perceive others
- Develop debiasing training programs for all criminal justice professionals