Six Million Trayvons Analysis

When looking at illegal actions and activities, also known as crimes, people of all color commit them. Whether people commit lesser or more excessive crimes, the action will be committed by a multitude of races. People of all colors are able to achieve the standards that have been set by society. When looking at the statistics, the evidence shows that people of color, especially African Americans tend to get harder and more solemn charges for the crimes that they have committed. What people might not notice is that there is a racial bias in the judicial system. That bias is changing the outcome of indictments. With all of the change going on in the United States of America, one untouched subject is the racial bias in the judicial system. If a change does not occur now, then when will there ever be a change? There is a racial bias in the judicial system, and a change needs to occur now.

There are disparities in outcomes in the justice system. For example, there are more African-Americans sentenced to prison more than Whites due to bail or pretrial release to defendants base on it currently employed- (Samuel

When thinking of a jury, there is a belief that everyone is fair when it comes to making the decision of whether the person being accused of the crime is guilty or not guilty because of the person’s race. What if this belief is not necessarily correct? There have been many instances in whether race has been a factor when the jury makes a decision. According to Baskin, Goldstein, and Sommers (2014), there has been enough evidence to show that racial biases influences the decisions of a jury. In this paper, the articles will show how jury decision-making is influenced by the offender’s race.

“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.

Despite the efforts of lawyers and judges to eliminate racial discrimination in the courts, does racial bias play a part in today’s jury selection? Positive steps have been taken in past court cases to ensure fair and unbiased juries. Unfortunately, a popular strategy among lawyers is to incorporate racial bias without directing attention to their actions. They are taught to look for the unseen and to notice the unnoticed. The Supreme Court in its precedent setting decision on the case of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986), is the first step to limiting racial discrimination in the court room. The process of selecting jurors begins with prospective jurors being brought into the courtroom, then

Few in this country would argue with the fact that the United States criminal justice system possesses discrepancies which adversely affect Blacks in this country. Numerous studies and articles have been composed on the many facets in which discrimination, or at least disparity, is obvious. Even whites are forced to admit that statistics indicate that the Black community is disproportionately affected by the American legal system. Controversy arises when the issue of possible causes of, and also solutions to, these variations are discussed. It’s not just black versus white, it is white versus white, and white versus oriental, whatever the case may be, and it is not justice. If we see patterns then the judges should have the authority to say something. Jury nullifications cannot be overturned regardless of the cause. Exclusionary rule, according to CULS (2010) – Prevents the government from using most evidence gathered in violation of U.S. Constitution; like unreasonable search and seizure (Fourth Amendment).

At the prosecution stage, African Americans are subject to racially biased charges and plea agreements (TLC, 2011). African Americans are less likely to have their charges dismissed or reduced or to receive any kind of alternate sentencing than their white counterparts (TLC, 2011). In the last stage, the finding of guilt and sentencing, the decisions of jurors may be affected by race (Toth et al, 2008) African Americans receive racially discriminatory sentences from judges (TLC, 2011). A New York study from 1990 to 1992 revealed one-third of minorities would have receive a lesser sentence if they were treated the same as white and there would have been a 5 percent decrease in African Americans sent to prison during that time period if they had received the same probation privileges (TLC, 2011). African Americans receive death sentences more than whites who have committed similar crimes (Toth et al, 2008). Because of the unfair treatment from the beginning to the end of the justice system there is an over represented amount of African Americans in prison (Toth et al, 2008). Some of the problems faced by African Americans in prison are gangs, racial preferences given to whites, and unfair treatment by prison guards (Toth et al, 2008).

The justice system has shown to have bias towards African-American males through the sentencing process and the incarceration process. Compared to fellow racial counterparts there is a visible and clear line that shown in the disparities that occur. Not only is bias being played throughout, but the proper programs are not being put into place to help families and especially the youth of the African-American community. Instead a form of neglect is going on that is creating a constant cycle that is the root of the systematic incarceration of African-American males. Another problem I believe is within predominately African-American communities, we do not help ourselves by promoting violence especially after tragic events such as the killing of unarmed African-American male Michael Brown that was due to the hand of police fire. In the situation riots took place and everything broke loose in Ferguson, Missouri but around the nation in other places peaceful protest took place displaying the true meaning of the #blacklivesmatter movement which is just to speak up against the harsh reality we has a race not the violence that is displayed on TV and news stations that gives off the condescending message as a hate group. Overall we should contribute towards our betterment as a race also, and maybe that can help shift the racial disparities that occur in the unfair

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.

And it also appears that the justice system also doesn’t bother to address this problem, because when it comes to jurors it appears that you rarely see a black person in a juror but yet you see more Caucasian people than blacks in the jurors when it comes to the juror system. This problem doesn’t make sense but again the justice system is bias against the black

After similar crimes are committed, in terms of severity, more serious life-long sentences are given to blacks than to privileged whites. “A July 2009 report by the Sentencing Project found that 2/3rds of people in the United States with life sentences are non-white” (Huffington). In some areas, such as New York and other major cities nationwide, the percentage is even higher. If the same crimes are being committed in similar circumstances, yet the only difference between the two is the physical appearance or the criminal, the punishments should be of equal intensity. Striking racial disparities exist at nearly every level of the Criminal Justice System-from arrest rates, to bail amounts, to sentence lengths, to probation hearing outcomes. Black Americans are also three times more likely to have their cars searched as well as more likely to be pulled over for no reason. It is no secret that African Americans and other racial minorities are often times deprived of basic human liberties or even constitutional rights solely due to the color or their

There is a serious problem with our justice system. It is not a secret that people are judged by the color of their skin, ethnicity and in some cases by religious beliefs. I strongly believe that race affects how an individual is persived/ treated and it plays an important role in the American Criminal Justice Unfortunately, race plays an important role in the American Criminal Justice System. This issue exist in other countries and societies too. The American Justice System is not an exception of this wrongdoing. For intance, minorities, such as African Americans and Latinos, are often prosecuted differently than Caucasians offenders. Verdicts not only tend to be much harsher, but are also accompanied by longer-term sentences. According to article titled, “Justice is harsher in America than in any other rich country. Between 2.3m and 2.4 m Americans are behind bars, roughly one in every 100 adults.” where for the most part, the majority of inmates are minorities (Economist.com). “The incarceration rates disproportionately impact men of color: 1 in every 15 African American men and 1 in every 36 Hispanic men are incarcerated in comparison to 1 in every 106 white men.”(aclu.org) The question is, why have minorities have become the majority of the American prison population?

Throughout history, our nation has been striving to ensure equal treatment for all citizens in our country. Every American now has the right to vote, and there are also discrimination free laws in our Constitution regarding housing, employment, and public communities. As you can see in the media, the amount of minorities holding positions of authority continues to grow each day. Minorities are experiencing wonderful educational and economic opportunities today in our country than ever before in history. While we are advancing in so many areas involving minorities, we are not progressing when it comes to the criminal justice system.

Having a diverse bench is critical to having a successful criminal justice system. The United States court system follows a presumption of innocence, meaning those who enter a courtroom are presumed innocent until proven guilty. This presumption of innocence is not always found in the courtroom. Every courtroom actor, whether consciously or unconsciously, has a bias towards the defendant and may even presume guilt before the case begins. This is especially true when there is a white judge acting on cases involving a defendant who is a part of the minority. Judges who represent the minority are not only unbiased towards defendants of their own race, but they also bring new perspectives to the bench (Haire & Moyer, 2015). They present ideas, understandings, and

As far as prejudice goes, there is one juror that sticks out the most as being the most bigot-like, that is juror #10. Many of his comments throughout the movie demonstrate a feeling of white supremacy, and no empathy towards the young man on trial, being that he is African American. In one scene he proclaims, “Well don’t you know about them? They’re a danger here. These people are dangerous. They’re wild. Listen to me. Listen to me!” Following that he continues to make more stereotypical comments about blacks, calling them drunks and saying that human life does not mean as much to them. After so many of his racist comments, the other jurors tune him out and disregard his opinions. This affects the overall communication of the group because it angers the other members and distracts from the goal at hand which is to come to a decision. We also see prejudice get in the way of solving