Racial Profiling In The Criminal Justice System Essay

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.)

Racial profiling is simply, “the unlawful police practice of using race, color, or ethnic background, as the reason for conducting a traffic stop on an individual.” (Michigan Civil Rights Commission) This definition can be extended to any kind of discrimination mainly based on myths and stereotypes towards a certain race or ethnicity. However, the term racial profiling is commonly used when a police officer or any other law enforcer stops, questions, searches or arrests an individual purely on the basis of their race. African Americans or simply blacks have been the major racial group that has suffered much of racial profiling. Much of this is based on the stereotypes against the blacks are perceived as more likely to engage in criminal activities. For instance, in a 2013 Racial Profiling Data from Ferguson Police Department, out of 5384 police stops, 4632 were against blacks. (Ferguson Police Dept. 1) Despite the low population of blacks in U.S. compared to other races, the former continues being subjected to more racial profiling. Racial profiling against African Americans continues to expose the blacks to humiliation and racial injustices, as this paper will expose, thereby calling for the responsible authorities to address and find solutions for the problem.

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.

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

“In 2005, a study analyzing data accumulated statewide in Texas reveals disproportionate traffic ceases and searches of African Americans and Hispanics, even though law enforcement authorities were more liable to find contraband on Whites.” (The Reality of Racial Profiling) The utilization of personal characteristics or comportment patterns to make generalizations about a person is called racial profiling. Throughout time, the utilization of race by law enforcement agencies in their policing activities has received considerable attention across the nation. The 4th amendment right that one has as an American, which is protecting against unreasonable search and seizure, is becoming contravened; one reason for the way one looks. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that racial profiling violates the constitutional requirement that all persons be accorded equal protection of the law, but it is still occurring in our society. Racial Profiling has caused the violation of our rights whether it maybe from a terry stop that was originated for the case Terry vs. Ohio, stop and frisk, racial vehicle stops, and the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act also known as Arizona SB 1070.

The people has made it clear that the concern on racial profiling is wrong with our core values and principles of fairness and justice. The use of race as the basis for law enforcement decision making clearly has a terrible cost, both to the individual who suffer invidious discrimination and to the nation, whose goal “liberty and justice for all” recedes with every act of such discrimination. For this reason many cases impose more

Criminal profiling has been around since the 1880’s, and up to this day, that method still has not had a great success rate. Also, racial profiling has not had a great success rate either through the years. At times, innocent people get detained and charged with crimes that they never committed due to matching the characteristics of other suspects. In other words, creating assumptions that will narrow down a suspect is just not the best method to utilize, especially when an innocent individual might be at risk of being incarcerated.

For the past few years there has been an ongoing debate surrounding the issue of racial profiling. The act of racial profiling may rest on the assumption that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to commit crimes than any individual of other races or ethnicities. Both David Cole in the article "The Color of Justice" and William in the article "Road Rage" take stance on this issue and argue against it in order to make humanity aware of how erroneous it is to judge people without evidence. Although Cole and William were very successful in matters of showing situations and qualitative information about racial profiling in their articles, both of them fail at some points.

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,

In America’s judicial system, the color of skin or race are often equated with criminal behavior. Dr. King once said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” As United States citizens, we are not convicted of a crime until proven guilty. However, racial profiling aids law enforcement on deciding when to pursue or detain a suspect based on race. This method undoubtedly categorizes that certain races are more prone to commit crimes. Nevertheless, racial profiling is a violation of constitutional rights thus protected by federal law; oddly it is often disregarded by states.

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.

As the controversial topic of stopping and frisking is widely discussed throughout this country, citizens wonder what factors are involved in causing law enforcement to decide to stop and frisk someone. Some believe that law enforcement wrongly use race as a factor for stopping and frisking, while others refute this claim by arguing that race is a necessary determining factor in order to reduce crime. People not guilty of crimes should be able to feel safe around police officers; however, it is a police officer’s job to take necessary steps to stop those they assume are engaging in suspicious activity. Even though many have lost trust in police officers due to recent innocent lives who have been victims of police brutality,

Racial profiling is a term society has become familiar with in the past few years; however, it is not a new phenomenon. Racial profiling according to Fredrickson, "occurs when law enforcement officials rely on race, skin color, and/or ethnicity as an indication of criminality, reasonable suspicion, or probable cause, except when it is part of the description of a particular suspect" (1). There are many opposing views on racial profiling; some believe it to be a useful tool used by law enforcement, while others believe it to be another way to discriminate against minorities. This paper sets out to examine racial profiling from its origin to present day, taking a look into both sides of the racial profiling issue to find what if any laws are

Racial profiling is a longstanding and profoundly alarming national issue in spite of cases that the United States and many other countries has entered a post-racial time. It happens each day, in urban communities and towns the nation over, when law authorization and private security target non-white individuals for mortifying and frequently unnerving confinements, cross examinations, and inquiries without confirmation of criminal action and in light of saw race, ethnicity, national root, or religion. Racial profiling is obviously unlawful, damaging the guarantees  governments give of equivalent security under the law to all and flexibility from preposterous inquiries and seizures.  Similarly as vitally, racial profiling is incapable. It distances groups from law requirement, prevents group policing endeavors, and makes law implementation lose validity and trust among the general population they’re supposed to serve and protect.

“Racial profiling occurs when a police officer selectively focuses on a person’s race where the harass, detain, or arrest the individual”(Cooper,2001). Racial profiling is a serious issue that has gone rampant in the united states today; people being scared to do everyday activities because of their race is terrorizing and they culprits should be look at as terrorist. The government system is not set up to benefit the minorities, the iron triangle is a connection of groups that are placed to try and benefit the people, but sometimes they only benefit themselves and people alike. Aiding in racial profiling is an institutionalized form of terrorism and needs to be stopped at the source, and these are the steps we should take.