Racial Discrimination Papers

Racial disparity in the Criminal Justice system has been a issue of discussion in our law enforcement for years. Statistics say the likelihood of imprisonment in a lifetime is 1 in 3 black men, 1 in 6 Latino men and 1 in 17 white men. (Bonczar2003) The search and seizure 4th amendment was passed in 1789 which was supposed to protect all persons of unreasonable searches, etc. In 1944 Gunner Myrdal wrote “it’s part of a policeman’s philosophy that Negro criminals or suspects that show any sign of insubordination should be punished bodily, to keep the negro in his place.” In the late 1960’s early 70’s there were many riot commissions that recommended changes in police practices, especially aggressive stop-and-risk procedures.(Skolnick1969) Racial disparities have been an issue for years, especially in traffic stops. There are a couple different approaches to help reduce or end racial profiling. The ACLU’s 5 part battle plan to end racial profiling (Harris2003), and The Racial Justice Improvement project (ABA2010). Racial profiling is an issue in many aspects of the Criminal Justice system. This paper will mainly be based on traffic stops and in sentencing.

Since Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, the criminal justice system of the United States has moved past racial discrimination greatly. With the election of President Obama in 2008, it would be easier to say that discrimination no longer exists in the criminal justice system. However, despite the progress that people of colour have made in society, there still exists a great racial disparity that can be seen through the rising trends of the sentencing and incarceration of minorities.

Although police and prosecutors may contend that discrimination does not occur within their agency but that does not mean discrimination doesn’t occur. The facts show that minorities are targeted much more than whites. There are many factors that contribute to this. I don’t believe it is any one agency that specifically targets minorities but rather the criminal justice system as a whole. The interplay between the media, the

The topic of whether or not there is racism in the legal system is becoming increasingly debatable among certain groups. The obvious evidence that has been glaring in the faces of the public for decades says it all: the criminal justice system is, and always has been, swayed by racism. Despite this, the opposing side of the argument - which mostly consists of privileged whites – diligently argues that racism was outlawed decades ago. There are also African Americans who are unaware of how their race is constantly being oppressed. However, the younger generation is quickly becoming culturally and politically woke and passing on the knowledge. Although racism is not explicitly stated in the law, racists are still hiding behind the supremacy of the country. White policemen have went as far as mindlessly killing young black people and claiming it was done out of self-defense. White judges will find loopholes in the legal process when dealing with an offense committed by an African American. They are targeting African Americans and punishing them more harshly than the white people who commit crimes.

In the twenty-first century, it seems that the media produces many stories on police brutality, the majority of which surround African-Americans. This is not just coincidence as the majority of citizens in the United States of America that are faced with police brutality are African-American. Prejudice in the force has been an issue for hundreds of years, but just now, with the advancement of technology, has the issue reached citizens across the country in heaping amounts. Whether through unconscious bias or open racism, the violence shown to black citizens across America by precincts and the justice system in general is a widespread issue that needs to be

We read about it almost every week in social medias. New victims of the police shootings are displayed and sympathized with. What many do not realize is that most of this injustice remains unheard, usually not through police brutality but through convictions. Much more African Americans are convicted than white people, and get worse punishments for the same crime.

For months now, news channels and others have been posting videos of police brutality towards black people. Furthermore, the majority of these officers are of a white racial background. For many years, black people have been subjected to racism and bigotry. While people such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks have worked hard to end the discrimination of blacks, people continue to mistreat them, namely whites.

Police brutality is increasingly prevalent and is constantly being swept under the rug. The dynamic between police officers and citizens is overwhelmingly racist. Cops (white or black) are in the position of power and use that to their advantage the same way any white person would over black man. Chief Justice Taney is a prime example of how white men can make and enforce laws that blatantly disadvantage colored people. In the Dred Scott case, he used his power to ensure that black men could not be considered citizens even though he had no right or authority to do so (“Speech on the Dred Scott Decision at Springfield Illinois” 111-120). The same racist institution that allowed Taney to make that decision decided Timothy Loehmann was not at fault for Tamir Rice’s murder. The justice system is built on and fostered by this racist power

As Anita Hill once stated, “We have a history of gender and racial bias in our court that continues to undermine the system. Excluding individuals based on race is antagonistic to the pursuit of justice.” RACISM- Another word for ignorance; another way of saying nature should have had only one type of flower or one species of animal. Racism is like looking at a box of crayons and not seeing all the colors. Racism is another word for fear- fear of the unknown. For many of us, those of diverse races and creeds are the great unknown. The simple question that begs asking is: why? What role does race truly play in the criminal justice system and is the system truly as colorblind as many individuals believe it to be? With this country’s shameful history of slavery, the Jim Crow Laws, and numerous other racially biased injustices, it seems likely race does, play a role in the countless facets in the United States (U.S) criminal justice system. Our system is clearly, not, color blind. Although a handful of naïve people remain oblivious to the racism ubiquitously occurring, negative attitudes toward people of color are, even now, prevalent in our courts. Not only is racism found in the corners of our streets, but also, it is found where we work, in schools our children attend, and, most significantly, in our justice system. It is about time for people to start examining the causes and begin looking for resolutions to this severe predicament. We – As America, have the ability to

It was once said by Ta-Nehisi Coates that, “We have this long history of racism in this country, and as it happens, the criminal justice system has been perhaps the most prominent instrument for administering racism.” In today's society and primarily in the criminal justice system over the past few years, there has been an alarming trend of racial profiling amongst minorities. Our society has created its own idea for who black people are. Depicting them as criminals, rapist, drug dealers, gang members,and just overall under a negative light. In recent years, we've seen black lives taken away due to the assumptions and discriminatory mindsets of people like police and overall mainly white people solely because the color of their skin. Although

Discrimination is not only seen in between blacks and whites when police and legal issues are involved, it is also felt in the workplace. “A subsequent study by the Pew Research Center last summer showed that blacks with higher education levels were actually more likely to see discrimination. Eight in 10 of blacks with at least some college (81%) said they experienced discrimination vs. six in 10 with a high school diploma or less (59%)...”(CNN). There have even been a study between Northwestern University, Harvard, and the Institute for Social Research in Norway that showed the application process between whites and blacks is surprising pretty different; “white applicants receive 36% more

When thinking about racism, it feels like it is a thing of the past, but it’s not. There are numerous people who are racist in law enforcement and that is demonstrated through racial profiling. Racial profiling still exists today and unfortunately happens frequently. In 2013, an unarmed black male, Trayvon Martin, is shot and killed by an officer. In 2014, Michael Brown, who is also a black male is shot and killed by another officer. Also, many black and Hispanic people are racially profiled and stopped by the police for suspicion of drug possession. In Arizona officers stop people who look suspicious and ask to see if they have papers. Most people who are stopped have Hispanic features or are heard speaking Spanish. This results in Hispanic people being unreasonably stopped. Racial profiling has not significantly evolved since the civil rights movement and it is crucial that minorities take action.

police kill more whites than blacks, but minority deaths cause more outrage. An analysis released shows more whites died at the hands of law enforcement than any other race in the last 2 years. Data shows 50% killed by officers are white only 25% are black. (washington times) Most killings of whites go unheard of. Michael Brown an 18 year old african american died at the hands of a white officer bystanders say Brown was provoking the officer, he had stolen from a gas station earlier that day he was pushing, shoving, and yelling at the officer he had even tried to grab his gun, the officer was acting out in self control but America was still outraged at the killing of the unarmed teenager. In 2012 Gilbert Collar an 18 year old white student was shot and killed while naked and unarmed by a black police officer, evidence shows Gilbert was doing no wrong and never laid a hand on the cop. The killing of Gilbert was unnecessary, although this killing is very similar to Brown’s death that caused a riot and world disgrace. it’s gone almost unheard of no riots, no sayings like “white lives matter” were started,

In the United States today discrimination is still an issue in society. As a society progress has definitely been made, but it has never fully gone away. Some of the most discriminatory action takes place in the American justice system. Young minority males between the ages of 25-29 are subject to being treated the most unfairly while whites of the same age are still being treated better than any race in this country. African American and Hispanic males are being incarcerated at higher rates than white males in America. Not only are minorities being incarcerated more, but also they are subject to harsher sentencing terms, fall victim to police racial profiling, and have disparities in the war on drugs. Also whites are still the dominant

“I believe discrimination still exists in society and we must fight it in every form,” as stated by Andrew Cuomo the current governor of New York. All throughout history, discrimination has been an underlying issue and is one that must be stopped and fixed. Throughout time African-Americans have been the most notable victims of discrimination. Dating back to the early seventeenth century, blacks have been discriminated and enslaved for absolutely no reason. There have been many attempts to end the discrimination, but as hard as people try this is an issue that seems unconquerable. Despite the fact that the Jim Crow era has passed, it is evident from history and peoples experiences that racial discrimination still does exist today.