Risk of Harm - Guidance and Training Resources

Risk of Harm - Guidance and Training Resources

Activity 6-12

Bias

Here are some examples the biases as mentioned in section 6.3.3 Perceiving and Interpreting the World. Fill in the blank table on page 3 with your own examples.

Source of Bias / Example
Their value base. / Believing that some offenders have no right to be helped because of what they have done.
Conscious or unconscious discrimination (whether class, gender, race, sexuality, beliefs about the proper demeanour of the interviewee and so on). / Believing that black people are naturally more likely to be aggressive.
Use of invalid models for example an understanding of behaviour drawn from the media rather than from properly researched. / Believing that the majority of sex offenders target children who are strangers to them.
The beliefs of the assessor in their ability to work effectively with a particular offender or group of offenders. / Thinking that you do not have the skills to work with offenders who are racist so leaving that work undone.
Unreal optimism wanting to believe you are being effective and that an individual is making progress or unreal pessimism refusing to see signs of progress. / An offender has attended group regularly and cooperated fully. You do not want to hear information that suggests they have been discussing further offending outside the group.
Being afraid of an individual offender. / An offender is middle class and articulate and makes you feel stupid so you do not challenge things you would with others.
Representative – assuming knowledge of one offender of a particular group means you know about all offenders in that group. / You work with a sex offender who repeatedly lies and lets you down. You assume that all sex offenders will be the same.
Confirmation – only paying attention to information that supports the judgement you have already reached. / You decide that a woman offender is over emotional and prone to exaggerating. When information reaches you that she is being abused you minimise its significance.
Availability – over reliance on information easily obtained. / You don’t seek information from others relying on old reports and your own interview.
Source of Bias / Example
Their value base.
Conscious or unconscious discrimination (whether class, gender, race, sexuality, beliefs about the proper demeanour of the interviewee and so on).
Use of invalid models for example an understanding of behaviour drawn from the media rather than from properly researched.
The beliefs of the assessor in their ability to work effectively with a particular offender or group of offenders.
Unreal optimism wanting to believe you are being effective and that an individual is making progress or unreal pessimism refusing to see signs of progress.
Being afraid of an individual offender.
Representative – assuming knowledge of one offender of a particular group means you know about all offenders in that group.
Confirmation – only paying attention to information that supports the judgement you have already reached.
Availability – over reliance on information easily obtained.

Activity Worksheet: Activity 6-12Page 1