Race's Role In The Criminal Justice System

There isn’t defined systems of law that explicitly differentiates between blacks and whites when it comes to crime, however, statistically wise, race seems to play an important role in sentencing and judgment. According to Social Problems (4th Edition) by John Macionis, “Black males are five times more likely than white males to spend time in jail,” even though numbers indicate majority of the suspect's arrested in “street crimes” are white (150). Another major component in the perceived role race plays in the system of law is poverty, even though blacks make up about 13% of the U.S. population, they have a greater chance of being arrested in comparison to their white counterparts (Macionis, 150) reason being is that impoverished neighborhoods

It is obvious that there are several race disparities within the criminal justice system. For decades minorities (black Americans to be specific) have been subject to higher drug related arrest rates than whites, even though there is no evidence to show that black American use or sell drugs more than whites (Spohn & Belenko, 2015, p. 143) . You made a great point about the prison race population versus the overall race population of the United States. I too agree that since a majority of the population is white, majority of the prison population should be white. However, as we all know, that is not the case. According to research, black Americans constitute for roughly twelve percent of the American population, however practically

I feel like the racial disparities produced in the criminal justice system has always been the same, unfair and discriminate towards a certain group of people. We(americans) are still stuck on the old ways of inequality of race. People with brown skin aren't equal to those that are white, at least in the criminal punishment part of it. And I think prejudice has a lot to do with it. I feel like when people look at blacks, mexicans, and other colored races, they assume they're just another criminal and don't deserve the same rights as whites. Law enforcement, especially recently, have just assumed the worst in a person of color and treat them like animals. They immediately arrest or kill just because it's easier to do than giving them a voice

Racial inequality is growing. Our criminal laws, while facially neutral, are enforced in a manner that is massively and pervasively biased. My research will examine the U.S. criminal justice policies and how it has the most adverse effect on minorities. According to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, out of a total population of 1,976,019 incarcerated in adult facilities, 1,239,946 or 63 percent are

The existence of racial disparity and structural inequality within the criminal justice system renders the concept of true justice for all unobtainable. The statistics of convictions and prison sentences by race definitely support the concept that discrimination is a problem in the justice system as well as the insignificantly number of minority judges and lawyers. There are a multitude of circumstances that influence these statistics according to the “Central Eight” criminogenic risk factors. The need for programs and methods to effectively deter those at risk individuals has never been greater and the lack of such programs is costing society in countless ways.

“The system is not fair. Institutional racism is alive and well in the juvenile justice system as it is in the criminal justice system, due to racial disparity and bias in the court room” (Jones, Bridgett). This is a statement that plagues many people involved in the justice systems. There are huge racial disparities throughout the world. Post-Slavery: the early development of the Race/Crime Connection, Profiling: Racializing possible cause, and differential bias involvement as well as institutional racism. We can work on having better policies and procedures driven into police practices and we need to make sure people of color are not excluded from juries to stop most of the disparity.

This research paper is on racial discrimination in our criminal justice system. Criminal justice professional is held to a higher standard and they are expected to make ethical decisions when dealing with the public. However, there are few who will be unethical in their jobs and forgot their oath of office. This paper will show the different type of racial discrimination in our criminal justice systems, particularly to individuals who deal directly with the courts, jail and the public. Racial discrimination isn’t just black against white, racial discrimination is also against Hispanic. I will discuss some of the issues with unethical cases involving the Criminal Justice System.

In today’s society, discrimination continues to affect millions of minorities from inappropriate name calling to being shot by a law enforcement officer because you were perceived to be dangerous. The underlying effects of racial discrimination are seen in all aspects of our society, especially in our social institutions. These social institutions range from the educational system to our government, yet racial discrimination is more evident in the criminal justice system. When analyzing how the criminal justice system discriminates against minorities we are able to do so through the visible disparities within the system. Unfortunately, these disparities display African Americans having the highest population rates in the criminal justice system, therefore, we can immediately conclude this disparity in population is due to the injustices conducted by the system. Thus, there is a need for urgent change not just within the criminal justice system but within all social institutions beginning with our government. This change should create greater opportunities for minorities to enter the political field in our government as well as promoting higher participating in voting. Yet, the criminal justice system within all its aspects practices discrimination due to its deeply interwoven prejudice, institutional racism, and socioeconomic status.

Today Anthony, a 23-year-old man and an avid pot smoker, sold marijuana to David, 25. Anthony later would drive by many cops while in possession of marijuana, and not be stopped. David, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He was unnecessarily stop and frisked by a police officer for “suspicious behavior.” David was charged with possession of marijuana. He happened to be in a state that would have charged him with a felony for possession. He was strongly encouraged by his state appointed attorney that he should take a plea deal to avoid a harsher sentence. David would continue to be abused by the system upon his release. He was no longer allowed to vote, and had a hard time finding a job due to his felony charge. The only thing separating David and Anthony was their race. Anthony had the luck of being born a white-American. Anthony had the privilege to avoid an unnecessary stop and frisk from police. Even if he was caught and charged, he would likely be face with a light sentence. Anthony would likely be freed from prison in a shorter amount of time than David, and have an easier time finding a job.

Race and crime are interwoven with how justice and criminology are handled. Police have a racial bias against blacks and incarcerate them in larger numbers than any other race. Statistically, blacks have a higher arrest and incarceration rate than other races do. Due to police being taught that racial profiling is a necessary part of the job, blacks have now become a prime target for many false arrests and often serve jail time for a crime they may not have committed. The black community often expresses their distaste with the criminal justice system, and how their community is handled, but encounter opposition from a group of people who believe nothing is wrong. With justice and bias, there are many improvements that need to be made regarding how criminals are arrested and charged, especially when race is a factor.

Is the Criminal Justice system racist? This question has been asked many times by people of many colors. According to Mac Donald (2008), the criminal justice system is not at all racist. The article depicts arrest rates of both whites and blacks and compares statistics on these arrests. It looks at the number of whites and the number of blacks in jails and prisons. In this critique, we will be looking into this article to see these points in which Mac Donald states proves that the criminal justice system is, in fact, not a racist one.

family income for whites is 38,909 and for blacks it is 21,161. This shows that

Criminal Justice system has been corrupted, due to the fact that there is high number of racism inside the system and how corrupted the system can be. Racism has been major issue for the citizens of colors, which affects their daily lives. Marc Mauer mentions story about two different teenage boys and their experience in Criminal Justice System, which explains the influence of racism, resources and judicial polices have on the juvenile cases to this day.

Although saying the criminal justice system is racist is a controversial statement, there is evidence and statistics that prove it to be true. Research and evidence validate the issue of racism to be undeniable. Equality and justice are out of reach with the racism that takes place in our criminal justice system and our country. Racial discrimination is prevalent amongst the African American culture in issues regarding drug use, and incarceration which creates unfair inequality for this race. I will use peer reviewed articles to verify the racial disparity in the criminal justice system.

Racism has a huge impact on society to this day. The greatest wrong doing in the U.S criminal justice system is that it is a race based organization where African Americans are specifically focused on and rebuffed in a considerably more forceful route than white individuals. Saying the Us criminal justice system is racist might be politically disputable in different ways. In any case, the actualities are debatable. Underneath I explain many cases of these issues. Information on race is available for each step of the criminal justice system – from the use of drugs, police stops, arrests, getting off on bail, legal representation, jury selection, trial, sentencing, prison, parole, and freedom.