Racial Profiling And The United States

Racial profiling is a very prevalent issue within the criminal justice system that is quite controversial, but there is a significant number of evidence that shows that racial profiling has been present since the 1600’s and continues to be a significant issue. Racial profiling is evident in the criminal justice system in various ways such as in interrogations, jury selection, misleading statistics, stops, and immigration laws. Racial profiling within interrogations and jury selection can be seen with the Brandley v. Keeshan case. Racial profiling within statistics can be seen in instances where the numbers focus on arrests and incarcerations that do not necessarily mean a crime was committed. Stops are seen as evidence showing racial profiling with a personal experience, and lastly, immigration laws are seen as showing racial profiling by the encounter of a Mexican American women had with an officer in Arizona.

According to the 11 Facts about Racial Discrimination, “The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics concluded that an African American male born in 2001 has a 32% chance of going to jail in his lifetime, while a Latino male has a 17% chance, and a white male only has a 6% chance” (11 Facts about Racial Discrimination 1). Racial profiling, or discriminating against a whole group of people based on their race, is an unjust act and a big problem in our society today. Arresting people because of how they look like, or what they believe in is absurd. According to ACLU, “Racial Profiling refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual 's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin” (ACLU 1). Although law enforcement assumes they are doing their job, they need to remain objective and fair in all situations, because they are violating rights, lacking protection and risking lives.

This paper outlines the studies, incidents, facts and statistics that have found evidence of racial profiling which causes distrust in the law enforcements (police, government etc0. Studies of racial profiling shows that blacks, Hispanics, Middle Eastern and other racial minorities are more likely to be stopped than those who are white. They are more likely to be stopped and searches, traffic stops, license and registration checks. In addition they are more likely to be ticketed or arrested after being stopped and search. Some scholars and studies believes that minorities being that are frequently stopped and searched has nothing to do with them being racially profiled. According to Roh and Robinson,” studies raise the possibility that minorities may be more involved in criminality (Gaines, 2006), some drug crimes (Lichtenberg, 2006), and speeding offenses (Lange, Johnson, & Voas, 2005), thereby justifying higher stop and arrest rates by police of some groups.” (Roh, S., & Robinson, M.)

One of the most imminent threats looming within American society is race relations. America is a melting pot of different races, cultures, and religions, yet the matter of racial profiling still remains prominent today. By definition it is considered “an activity carried out by enforcers of the law wherein they investigate or stop any individual in traffic or round up people of the same race or ethnicity for crime suspicion” (NYLN.org ). This profiling has become a significant catalyst in the tension that has been ensuing between minorities and the government. Hostility has grown due to the apparent and intentional targeting of “brown people”, and

What makes America? Is it the freedoms granted to any American citizen? Is it the way the founding fathers fought for their own freedom against Britain? Is it instead the racial history behind this nation? America, since its origins has been a country of immigrants and for immigrants, yet since its origins, there has been discriminatory laws against blacks, Latinos, Asians, and every other race that is not considered white or Caucasian. Has this country that has been based upon racial profiling, that has fought wars as one nation (and even against themselves at one point), and has triumphed through the Civil Rights movement finally succumbed to justice or is racial profiling just as prominent today? Racial profiling still exists in America because ____________________, ___________________, and _____________________. (3 reasons stated in thesis)

Through research it is believed that the practice of racial profiling began around the 1970s by law enforcement. This was a time at which drug trafficking was impacting the entire world. Law enforcement would do what they could in order to capture these criminals. Profiling is used in policing and has been proven to be a very impacted strategy. There is fine line between profiling and racially profiling which leans more towards stereotyping as well. A profile is essentially a collection of facts that have

In today’s world we deal with multiple cases of racial profiling seemingly on a daily basis. Turn on the television, check the internet, or simply have a discussion with someone and you’ll hear about it. "Racial Profiling" describes discriminatory practices by law enforcement officials who target people for suspicion of crime based on their ethnicity, race, origin, or religion. The term first came about during the War on Drugs in the 1970’s and 1980’s when law enforcement were accused of pulling over motorists simply because of their race, then unlawfully searching their vehicles for illegal substances. There are varying opinions about this topic and as the year’s progress, it seems acts of racism, labeling, and profiling increase. Many of the instances of racial profiling that occur today involve criminal justice.

Racial profiling occurs every day in most cities and towns across the country. Racial Profiling “Refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual’s race,religion or national origin.”(1) Law enforcement and private security target people of color and low financial standings, they call this “driving black or brown.”(1) They humiliate and often frighten people during, interrogations. Sometimes they do searches without evidence of criminal activity and based on perceived race, national origin, ethnicity, or religion. Racial profiling is illegal violates the U.S. Constitution’s promises of equal protection under the law, which takes away their rights to reasonable searches and seizures. Just as importantly, racial profiling is ineffective. Racial profiling, alienates communities from law enforcement and causes law

Racial profiling occurs when the police target someone for investigation on the basis of that person’s race, national origin, or ethnicity. Examples for profiling are the use of race to determine which motorists or pedestrians to search for contraband. Racial profiling is prevalent in America. Despite the civil rights victory of 30 years ago, official racial prejudice is still reflected throughout the criminal justice system. For African Americans in cities larger and smaller across the nation, north, south, east, west, Jim Crow “justice is still alive and well.” Racial profiling by law enforcement is a major problem in the U.S. that can be solved by citizens and the police at the same time. The police need

Racial Profiling is just what it is. Targeting individuals for suspicion of a violation determined by the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion or national origin. Race and location are the supreme characteristics law enforcement visually examine when engaging in this type of profiling. African-American males are the primary victims of racial profiling in the United States. The phrase “driving while black” derive from African Americans protesting that they are pulled over by police officers for no reason other than the color of their skin. But racial profiling isn 't only about African-Americans, racial profiling deals with other ethnicity groups likewise. Police departments across the country too often use extortionate force, injuring people suspected of misconduct and sometimes killing them. Stop and frisk is the practice by which a police officer initiates a cessation of an individual on the street allegedly based on plausible suspicion of malefactor activity. Statistically, police have been more liable to perform stop and frisks in neighborhoods that are home to sizably voluminous numbers of African American and Hispanics. Racial profiling by the police is becoming progressively controversial. We know little about the extent of the problem and even less about public perceptions of profiling.

The purpose of the paper is to identify, how racial profiling is not a legitimate tool for law enforcement agencies. The definition of the racial profiling is the consideration of race, ethnicity, or national origin by an officer of the law in deciding when and how to intervene in an enforcement capacity (Racial Profiling, 2008). The practice of racial profiling is illegal. Racial profiling violates the fourth and fourteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The fourth amendment indicates [it goes against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched,

People love to categorize everything in the world. From organizing socks to classifying species. Therefore, racial profiling exists. Racial profiling is a growing problem in the United States of America. Minorities are being discriminated and put into racial categories by society. In addition, people of color are being looked down upon by privileged whites. Furthermore, whites are discriminating a diverse society by stereotyping and being racist to different cultures that makes the United States of America the freest country in the world. For example, in the article Jim Crow Policing by Bob Herbert it states, “These encounters with the police are degrading and often frightening, and the real number of people harassed is undoubtedly higher than

African-Americans are the primary race being treated poorly. Throughout history, African Americans have gone through many hardships with being slaves and although slavery was abolished African Americans were still not granted their full freedom and they continued to be segregated from other races. African Americans hold many negative stereotypes most of which are not true. Due to these negative stereotypes, African Americans are most likely to be targeted by police and many other people for committing crimes. This is called racial profiling, and it is an issue going on around us.

I grew up in a family where my father was a doctor and my mother a homemaker, both immigrants from Pakistan hoping to achieve the American dream. Growing up in a white-dominant community and attending a high school with predominantly, white students and teachers, I was restricted in my growth and freedom. I was treated differently by my friends, peers and faculty members as I tried to acclimate to the American culture. My low social status, identity as a student in my high school was due to my race and gender. My race, defined by my phenotypic traits, compelled my peers and teachers to treat me differently, because of association with an inferior race. Despite being born in America, my foreign looks and association with another country, led me to be captured by the chains of racial profiling. My family, my low-social status in a White-dominated institution and my membership in primary groups were all pivotal aspects that have allowed me to attend UC Davis, where I plan to combat the low expectations of my Pakistani race.

Racial profiling of course has been an issue across the world since the human existence. There are reasons for seeing prejudice acts in some police actions. For example it is hardwired in the human brain to express the scapegoat theory. According to Scapegoat Theory from Changingminds.org: “It is natural for some people to use a group of people to unleash internal anger. This can contribute to unfair arrests among certain races.” There is also the effect of hindsight bias. As described in Hindsight Bias in Psychology by Study.com ‘it is