Racial Profiling

Since the birth of our nation, racial profiling has been an issue longstanding and troubling among minority groups and still continues to exhibit severe consequences in communities.

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.

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

Racial profiling in law enforcement is referenced when a law enforcement officer targets an individual for suspicion of a crime. A broader definition of racial profiling in law enforcements is when a law enforcement officer, uses an individual’s race or ethnicity, age , time of the day (usually later in the day), dress code and also location to accuse a person of a crime. In today’s world the term racial profiling can be viewed in various view points, because of people having different opinions on the term, many disagreements occur. Some people believe that specific incidents are not cases of racial profiling and others think otherwise, needless to say an argument occurs.

Over the last twenty years the issue of racial profiling has become extremely combative with regards to law enforcement practices. A common misconception begins as some people are unaware of what racial profiling actually is. Racial profiling typically deals with incarceration, miss education, and to certain extent slavery. The topic of slavery is relevant in the conversation of racial profiling because like slavery, African Americans have suffered just due their own identity. Profiling is essentially the selection of an individual and categorizing them due to a specific racial group. The ever growing issue of racial profiling has become more evident to the public with the increasing number of instances that have been reported regarding

Profiling is something that every person has or will do at some point in their life; some may even profile without even realizing it. There are various forms of profiling which will be discussed, along with the history behind profiling and how it has been used successfully by Law Enforcement in several areas as a field on investigation (Douglass, Ressler &Burgess, 1986). Profiling has various positives along with negatives, and these are accepted by Satzewich and Shaffir (2009) who suggest that racial profiling is best understood in the context of a police subculture where these police officer intergrade profiling as part of their every day work routine. Profiling is a big factor in the daily work of every Law Enforcement Officer and it cannot be avoided (Becker, 2004). For the most part profiling is seen as part of an officers daily investigative tools, from border searches, to pulling vehicles over for traffic citations the officers will use his or her discretion on those who arouse their suspicion (Rose, 2002). Therefore, this paper will analyze the overall effectiveness of profiling and how it either proves to successfully reduce crime or not (Rose, 2002).

The definition of racial profiling is prejudging someone by their ethnicity or racial profile based on the stereotypes that an ethnic group may carry. Racial profiling acknowledgement in America has grown rapidly over time and has really been on the rise since the September 11, 2001 bombings of the Twin Towers in New York City and of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

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

Racism exists in our American justice system… many years later. Many assume that racial profiling is a problem that just arose recently, due to multiple infamous incidents where “justice” was served to innocent victims. Most people have this assumption because the extremes of racial profiling has been making national headlines. When in fact racial profiling has been around and in use since the 1700s. By definition racial profiling is the use of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or national origin by law enforcement agents as a factor in deciding whom to investigate, arrest or detain absent evidence of a specific crime or criminal behavior. In other terms it is using racism and stereotypes to assume the worst of people. Racial profiling is executed by law enforcements by multiple tactics, such as a stop and frisk , vehicle or bag search search, a pat down, etc based on the police having a reasonable suspicion that the individual is going to commit or has already committed a crime whether it is a felony or misdemeanor. Racial profiling has destroyed our trust in police officers due to the fact that the law enforcements can use this to their advantage by using discrimination to interrogate citizens or immigrants, whom are by a large percentage African American or a minority. According to the U.S Bureau of Justice Statistics, African American males have a one-in-three chance of going to jail in their lifetime, a rate more than six times higher than whites (Knafo,2013). This statistic however is not based on crime rates yet based on illegal drug offenses. Although most african americans are incarcerated due to drug crimes it is a proven statistic that African Americans are ten times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes than the rate of white men.

Racial Profiling is used often by law enforcement and is a social problem that displays racial inequality. Many people are losing lives because of our Criminal Justice System. Most police officers are prejudice and use stereotypes while pulling over minority groups which include ethnicity's other than Caucasian. Caucasian's carry the figurative white privilege, so racial profiling is not as common for white people. Providing examples of how racial profiling in our criminal justice system is necessary since these are huge problems in American Society. Much evidence exists on the American institutional systems, cultural norms and values, and even individual experiences that display racial profiling in the criminal justice system. African Americans,

Throughout history, there has always been a separation between races, and as our nation progresses, racism has taken the form of racial profiling. Often used as a technique to prevent crime, racial profiling only serves to unreasonably accuse individuals of color of heinous crimes, perpetuating societies longstanding fears. There are many arguments that racial profiling doesn’t exist, and people of color are only perpetuating the idea that they are constantly victimized, but based on past and current events, it is foolish to think racial profiling comes down to just that. By comparing the treatment of those of color, to those who are not, the blatant fact that racial profiling exists is clear to see.

presented by advocates of the use of racial profiling as a law enforcement tactic is

Individuals all around the world are faced with being racially profiled. For example the individuals that are racially profiled are usually people nonwhites. They are racially profiled because of how one person with their race has made a negative connotation with their ethnicity. The police are the ones, who usually are racially profiling others because of how a person may look “suspicious”. Although, racial profiling allows some sense of security, the people that are harmed are traumatized; therefore racial profiling needs to be stopped.

Racial profiling has existed for many years, and it affects the daily life of an individual. Racial profiling is the act of law enforcement targeting individuals due to their religion, ethnicity, or race. Many citizens are concerned with the issue because it violates basic human rights. Throughout the years the subject has become a very controversial topic because the society we live in is very media driven. A series of tragic events have taken place recently that have triggered individuals to take a stand and put an end to the injustice. Racial profiling is an unceasing problem that can be diminished using data, body cameras, and laws.

Federal agencies and Airline companies should not be allowed to remove people from a plane and detain them for their skin color, making this a wrongful practice of racial profiling. The American public forms and influences Iron Triangles into spreading their own beliefs that are then practiced within certain government agencies. Policies are then written and passed that allow such acts as this to be used on the general population. Shoshana Hebshi and two other men became victims of these acts while on a plane in 2013. These acts of discrimination can be changed only if the American public will stand up and force these Iron Triangles to push the Federal agencies and Airline companies to change their ways.