...Inserts His/her Name Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name Customer Inserts Grade Course (06, 07, 2012) Racism in criminal justice system Introduction Justice is a term that we hear a lot in our everyday life and also accept it although many of us might have a doubt as to what it truly means. Justice is the phenomenon through which we could achieve righteousness and equality. But unfortunately racism has been a common practice in the criminal justice system. Racism is actually discrimination against a group or individual based on color, social and financial status. It is something that occurs more than we notice. Many scholars believe that racism play a more important role in targeting and sentencing process in the criminal justice system and this is something which should not happen in any country no matter what. In order to understand the role that racism plays in the criminal justice system we must, first, look at the role that it plays before the criminal reaches the day of sentencing in the court. There are various publications that speak on profiling and actuarial methods which unwillingly get people into the system. Though these are two major components of the discriminatory acts that exist within the criminal justice system, it does not actually begin with these institutionalized methods. It is the laws and crime control policies that create discrimination in the system. It has been witnessed that in some instances these laws and policies are set in favor of the white...
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...The Myth of a Racist Criminal Justice System By William Wilbanks The name of the book that I read was The Myth of a Racist Criminal Justice System by William Wilbanks and was published in 1987. It talks about the myths of having a racist criminal justice system. In this book the author does not believe that that the criminal justice system is racial but believes at times there is racial prejudice and discrimination within the criminal justice system that goes both ways between blacks and whites. According to the text this book is written in the belief that many aspects of the question "Is the criminal justice system racist?" have not been addressed by Criminologist. This book is intended to fill that void of not knowing. Wilbanks wrote this book basically to give us a better understanding of how sometimes what looks to be racism in the court system really isn’t but is looked at that way because of a high difference in number in the black/white ratio involved negatively in the court system. The book was written from a more general point of view in order to give a neutral understanding to both parties as to why the court systems are looked at to be racist but really aren’t.. The author also gives very interesting arguments of proof to back up his beliefs. There was a part in the book where Wilbanks says, “Thus the question of whether the criminal justice system is racist must not be confused with that of whether blacks commit crimes at a higher rate than whites because...
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...deeper immersed in racism than it is today. Justice rivals fairness in To Kill A Mockingbird because of deep rooted prejudice in the novel’s society. Prejudice is evident throughout the novel, one specific example would be that Tom Robinson is not given the benefit of the doubt when he dies. This...
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...Politics has influenced the US criminal justice system with the biased and prejudice minds of the politicians that seek to make their pockets grow larger. The consequences of prejudice minds in the US criminal justice system are seen through the privatization of prisons, militarization of the police, and the criminalization of poverty. I believe the state’s view not only influences how crime and criminals are treated, but also the people’s view on crime and criminal treatment. Racism is the one of the most predominant issue the US criminal justice encounters. When politicians rally the people based on their racist views, some people unfortunately agree, which leads to their election. Once they’re in office they continue to communicated the...
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...if they were all treated equally by the law. Racism is still very much a major part of our society. Growing up in NY I always knew that there were racist people, but I never knew how the racism actually affected our society and how strongly it influences such things as government funding for education and housing developments. Racism and prejudice always seemed secondary to me. I always knew that this country had issues with racism, but I never imagined that it affected serious issues so heavily. Minorities in this country are put at a greater disadvantage than whites. Many minorities, especially those that do not speak English as their primary language, have to deal with inadequate housing, underfunded school districts and the everyday struggle of discrimination for their differences and beliefs. Most people believe that black and Hispanic people simply commit more crime; the situation is actually more complex. Research suggests crime exists across all societies; it is the type of crimes committed that varies. Those who are victimized by crime are the lower economic levels of society. I think it’s a lack of knowledge and we only focus on these two groups. White collar crimes that are committed primarily by the middle-class and whites are underreported and often not counted in official crime statistics. In our criminal justice system blacks are treated more harshly at every stage in the justice system than a lot of races. More than 2.3 million...
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...inequality in the form of racism throughout the Canadian society. For instance, a few months ago, a black male was asked to leave the St. Laurent shopping centre by the mall securities as the position of his pants were viewed as not family-friendly but this type of fashion is normal for teenagers who are influenced by the hip-hop culture. As the man did not want to cause any trouble, he obeyed the securities but as he was escorted, the securities used unnecessary forces which caused scars and bruises to the individual. Furthermore, the black male was arrested and detained for 3 hours, then fined $65 by the Ottawa Police, and banned from the mall for 5 years. One witness stated that this was a case of racial profiling as she saw that the mall securities had no reason to assault the individual. Although many deny the existence of racism in the Canadian society, this type of inequality still largely exists. To further analyze this topic, articles written by various scholars on racial profiling in the criminal justice system and racism in the workplace in Canada will be compared and contrasted. Moreover, various sociological concepts learned from the class will be applied to explain racism. In addition, the Symbolic interactionist and Conflict perspectives will be compared and contrasted to have a better understanding of racism. Racism has been a long-standing problem that various individuals face in the Canadian society throughout the history. Particularly, racism has been an issue observed...
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...Examining the criminal justice system reveals that minorities are over-represented, primarily because of racial prejudices within the system. The well-publicized war on drugs is one of the main causes for this over-representation, for it has primarily targeted poor people of color. As Walker et al (2003) note, despite repeated studies showing there is little difference in the level of drug use between blacks and whites in the United States, three-quarters of the people incarcerated in American prisons for drug trafficking, dealing, or abuse are African-American. In social terms, one of the most troubling problems with America’s war on drugs is that it appears to be motivated at least in part by racism. As Mason (2000) notes, under New Jersey’s Operation Pipeline drug interdiction program, for example, eighty percent of the motorists stopped by police were black and just thirteen percent were white. Sentencing laws also appear to be racist, for they punish minorities more. Getting caught with four-hundred grams of cocaine requires no mandatory prison term, but possessing four-hundred grams of crack can lead to life in prison. One of the most blatant demonstrations of prejudice in the criminal justice system is racial profiling. According to critics, racial profiling is a unfair law enforcement strategy that enables police officers to stop and question African-Americans simply because of their race. According to Malley (2000) racial profiling is a process...
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...“American Violet” Critical Analysis Ashley ReBarker SOCI 3025 Dr. Sitawa Kimuna The “American Violet” sparks up a lot of issues that we see today in our society. These issues are very important as they deal with equality among our citizens but they may often be overlooked. The issue I am going to discuss in this critical analysis is Racial Prejudice in the Criminal Justice System. Racial prejudice happens every day and may never completely end, but one would think that it would not take place in a professional, uniform place such as the Criminal Justice System. After watching this movie, I have been taken back by the actions of the people in charge of this system. The 14th Amendment states that “ no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; no shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (U.S Constitution). The individuals in this film were not treated equally compared to the whites in this town and this was the result of racial prejudice. Dee, the main character of the movie, is a mom to four kids in a small town in Texas. The movie starts out with the SWAT team/policemen raiding the “projects” where Dee lives. At this time Dee is at work at a local café where they eventually find her at and arrest right on the spot. Not once do they tell her what she is being arrested for...
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...The Role of Race and Ethnicity in Society The fall of 2016 at California High School marked a turning point in the evolution of racism and fueled the issue of racial inequality in America. Students walked into the school bathrooms to find the words “for whites” and “for colored people” written along the stall doors. Staff members and the student body witnessed the heinous presence of racist graffiti on the white tinted walls of the school bathrooms. Blacks were pressured to enter separate stalls than whites and reexamine their status in society. Students and faculty members were compelled to analyze the role of white supremacy and the effects of racial prejudice throughout our nation. The notions of race and ethnicity have been negatively...
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...disparity. Kruse reveals how creating the US interstate highway system, to expand economic growth, disrupted black communities and restricted their access to better jobs, healthcare, and education. Furthermore, Alexander’s...
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...1 Disparity and Discrimination By Jennifer Cruz CJS/221 8/7/15 Alan Hazen 2 Disparity and Discrimination In a prejudice world, it’s important to note the differences between disparity and discrimination, but especially when serving justice in the courts. Everyone regardless of color, sex, sexual orientation, race, and religion are entitled to fair treatment, but it doesn’t always happen that way. In this paper examples will be given of the unfair treatment towards certain race of people, and what the consequences of that treatment is. It will also explain a situation of which disparity exists, why, and how it all relates to the criminal justice field. Disparity Disparity is a situation which a particular group of people are involved. A good example would be the incarceration rate of black men, compared to any other race. Would is the cause of this? When looking at the statistics of disparity in crime, we learn many things. Who is effected the most, which race, class, or sex is most likely to be arrested, and then the next question is why? Why are black men more likely than men of other races to be incarcerated despite blacks making up only 13% of the population? And what can we do to make it fairer towards everyone regardless of what they are? These are important questions to ask when regarding race in the criminal justice field. Discrimination Discrimination is treatment that is different between different groups of people, such as religious groups, groups of...
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... In the criminal justice system both disparity and discrimination is used because I can't say that police officers do not focus more on the black community than the white because it is really happening right know I'm seeing it with my own eyes. I also see if you have money you can get away with anything, but if you are poor it is nothing they can do for you just like they look at the way you was raised and where you was raised at. Criminal justice is just like any other jobs you would get it's not about what you can do it's about who you know and the color of your skin and that is discrimination. These days they try not to discriminate because they want to seem like they still have racism, but you can't hide it at all. Criminal justice also has and shows the great differences, between people of all colors and that is disparity. It's when they see how you present yourself to them and what they can see and what you know. The different between disparity and discrimination is disparity is when something is not the same and unequal when discrimination is when someone shows prejudice against someone else that is the differences. The similarities between disparity and discrimination is because they both treat people unequal it's like they both show prejudice are not the same treatment. It's not treating people fairly. It's seems that the similarities and the differences are just alike I notice about the two why are they used in the criminal justice system. I can also understand...
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...perception. The patterns and existence of institutionalized discrimination, contextual discrimination, and individual discriminatory behaviors within the criminal justice system carry considerable influence on public perception of police departments. The effects of social class, race, and ethnicity on citizen opinions of how law enforcement agencies operate include instances of corruption, systematic discrimination, and general misunderstandings of cultural diversities. Institutionalized discrimination describes a wider pattern of events regarding discriminatory practices incorporated into processes, procedures, and organizational structure (Walker, Spone, Delone, 2012). An example may include policies that permit judges to consider employment or domestic history in their decision making process.Whether these occurrences are due to prejudice or racism, or are the result of a general lack of consideration for the needs of various social identities, they essentially indicate a problematic system. Pure justice provides restorative justice for victims and their rights, yet attains an unbiased, unprejudiced approach to retribution. Disproportionate numbers of minority group members involved in various stages of the criminal justice system indicate racial disparity, challenging whether this is because there are higher rates of criminal acts or a consequence of discrimination. Racial imbalance is contextual, depending on the specific circumstances of a case, such as the race or ethnicity...
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...The criminal justice system consists of three main parts: 1) the police; 2) the courts; and 3) the corrections. In the criminal justice system, these three groups function together under the rule of law to maintain the law within society. Despite its important role, there is a sufficient amount of evidence that blacks and aboriginal people are over-represented in the criminal justice system. The logic behind this problem is that racial discrimination and profiling is present, or it is the result of the differential offending patterns of the minority. After researching, I believe that aboriginal and blacks are over-represented in the criminal justice system due to racial discrimination and profiling. My reasoning behind this is based on the collected data that supports the fact that racial discrimination and profiling is apparent in the criminal justice system. Racial discrimination and profiling is most associated with the police, and that is strictly because they are the first contact with the suspects, victims, citizens, and the offenders. I also believe that the causes of the problem and the potential solutions are the same for both aboriginal and black people. The only variable that might alter the causes of the problem, and the potential solutions is the location in which the aboriginal and blacks live in. This being said, racial discrimination and profiling are without doubt the primary attributes in the over-representation of aboriginals and blacks in the criminal justice...
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...Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice Brent Weaver Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice, CJA/423 Torria Richardson 5-30-11 Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice Society has shown racial diversity among communities. Racial disparity can be found in the criminal justice system. A system designed to be fair and equal to individuals is not existent. Racial diversity can be found at the time of arrest to the time of sentencing. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the diversity in sentencing. Case studies will be discussed throughout this paper. Leaders of criminal justice are not exempt of racial diversity. Racial diversity has changed over the years, but racial diversity remains strong in sentencing minorities. Diversity is not biased of offenses. Racial diversity can be seen in the smallest of charges, such as a traffic stop to the most serious sentence of the death penalty. Most of the sentences are because profiling an individual of minority. African Americans are likely to be the targeted racial group. Hispanic individuals are likely to be another racial group profiled for harsher sentencing. Racial disparity in the criminal justice system should always be considered a violation of ideas of the forefather’s of this nation as equal treatment under the laws of the United States Constitution. Many reasons for racial disparity can be identified in the sentencing process. The sentencing process is a difficult process, and adding racial bias may create a...
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