Izumi on the Illusion of Mediator Neutrality

Carol Izumi has published an article called "Implicit Bias and the Illusion of Mediator Neutrality,' 34 Wash. U. J. L. & Pol. 71 (2010). Carol concludes: "The veneer of neutrality is stripped away by research findings that show convincingly that mediators fall far short of the ethical duty to treat parties impartially and without bias. Under current conditions, we are failing to meet our articulated goals and the expectations of the parties. Surely, it is naive to think we can completely eliminate bias in mediation. It is equally certain that nondiscrimination in mediation is attainable only with more deliberate, informed, and self-concsious practices by mediators."