...Racial Profiling & Police in Canada Secondary Research Abskortski, Milen. "The Pluralism Project at Harvard University." Harvard University. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. Definition: * racial profiling refers to the discriminatory practise of law enforcement that is designed to target individuals for suspicion of crime based on his or her race, ethnicity, beliefs, religion or national origin History of Racial Profiling & Police in Canada Policing over the Past 40 Years * extends from systematic issues debated in court processes to prison practises and routine aspects of policing outside of legal institutions * aallegations that the Canadian criminal justice system is racially biased, were made at various junctures by different groups over the past several decades * Since the early 1900’s, racial profiling by the police has been highly dominant. Public complaints, legal actions, empirical research and a number of high-profile incidents had brought several police practices to the forefront of the debates on racial bias of policing in Canada Stereotypes Associated with Racial Profiling Stereotyping becomes a particular concern when people act on their stereotypical views in a way that affects others. This is what leads to profiling. Although anyone can experience profiling, racialized persons are primarily affected. Typically, but not always, profiling is carried out by people in positions of authority, and can occur in many contexts involving...
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...The practice of racial profiling by police officers has become a contentious issue between law enforcement and advocacy group supporting rights of citizens. An increasing number of reported incidents in which law enforcement professionals have been accused of targeting minority groups have heightened the debate about racial profiling and the legitimacy surrounding it. The practice of racial profiling by law enforcement is an attempt to identify potential criminals before they could commit serious crimes. Law enforcement officers who have used racial profiling are confident that the process helps them to detain criminals and therefore reduce crime. However, the use of racial profiling has become a debated issue across North America. The media has captured the public’s attention by identifying how law enforcement officials make the assumption that minority groups and people from ethnic backgrounds are more likely to commit crimes. This paper will reflect that the use of racial profiling by law enforcement is both wrong and ineffective in many ways. First, racial profiling is wrong because it tends to target people of color under the assumption and stereotype that they create more crime, which clearly is unconstitutional under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Secondly, through the Toronto Star newspaper analysis it will be obvious that the use of racial profiling in solving crimes is not effective but is damaging and harmful towards individuals under the Human Rights Code. And...
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...Race and Racialization in Canada The term race refers to a group of people who have common physical characteristics, which are genetically transferred from parent to child. Race can also mean the classification of individuals based on observable physical traits and as a result, some people assume that these physical traits have a direct relationship with academic, ethical, and other mental skills. The above assumption might lead to racialization, which is the treatment of certain groups of people differently from other groups based on abstract or actual physical qualities. A stereotype is a prejudiced view regarding a community. Racial profiling is a consequence of the stereotyping of a racialized people. This paper examines race profiling in Canada. Furthermore, it discusses how race profiling is evident in the process of “Carding” by law enforcement authorities. Racial profiling is the suspicion of certain individuals of law breaking due to a person’s faith, background, race, or nationality. It originates from racialization of ethnic groups since it occurs because of the stereotyping of racialized people by law enforcement officials. An instance of racial profiling is the halting of drivers for inconsequential traffic infringements based on race. In (http://torontolife.com/city/life/skin-im-ive-interrogated-police-50-times-im-black/) the police pursue the author’s father and eventually stop him just because the author’s cousin threw out a piece of Kleenex through the car...
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...found myself thinking sociologically when I realized that equality in Canada is less practiced as what the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982 claims. In this constitution, it is stated that every individual should be treated equally regardless of their race, ethnicity, colour, religion, sex, age, and any disability; however, in reality, individuals experience 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...
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...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 system. Although I agree with the fact that certain minority youths contain a greater involvement in delinquent behaviour. This does not provide an adequate...
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...Public/Police Relations: An Intractable Conflict? David A. Mercury damercury1921@gmail.com (416) 333-7523 Public/Police Relations: An Intractable Conflict? Purpose of this Paper The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the conflicts described, between the police and the Afrikan Canadian diaspora [sometimes referred to as the Communities] and the Original Peoples communities and other racial minorities, can be defined as being intractable. If so, the exploration of possible approaches to resolve these conflicts is beyond the scope of this paper. It is my hope and intention to conduct this exploration in later works. What is an Intractable Conflict? The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace, defines intractable conflicts through a discussion the common features. First, [emphasis added] intractable conflicts are protracted, persisting for a long time. Second, [emphasis added] they are waged in ways that the adversaries or interested observers regard as destructive. Third, [emphasis added] partisans and intermediaries attempt, but fail to end or transform them. Conflict intractability, however, is not a fixed dichotomous feature; conflicts vary in their degree of intractability. The degree to which the three defining features are manifested varies and changes, and they are best treated as dimensions of conflict. . . . Even duration is not a fixed characteristic of a conflict. The beginning of a conflict is often contested, with one side pointing back...
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...The Impact of Racial Profiling on Society Racial profiling, a topic that has plagued society for generations due to discrepancies between the police and minority groups that never seems to end. In the eyes of minority groups, racial profiling is seen as a tool by which police officers can unreasonably arrest individuals for crimes based solely on the colour of their skin. This has slowly turned into a term known a DWB (Driving While Black) and has lead to many public outrages, enlarging the fact that police are seen as the big bad wolf and not the country’s source of protection. The question is whether racial profiling is an effective and reasonable tool by which criminal offences are brought to justice or just another reason for racial discrimination....
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...officer’s use of discretion results in a violation of due process it is a violation of the law (Young, 2010). Due process is the constitutionally mandated procedural steps designed to eliminate error in any governmental deprivation of liberty, life, or property (Pollock, 2010). One of the main concerns with using discretion is the possibility of it leading to a violation of due process by racial profiling. Types of Negative Police Discretion Racial profiling occurs when a police officer uses a “profile” as reasonable suspicion to stop a person with the intent to obtain consent to search their belongings (Pollock, 2010). These stops are usually traffic stops and the officer is looking to obtain consent to search the individual’s automobile. The “profile” used is based on race. In these cases, an officer is using their discretion to target minority groups because they believe they are involved in criminal activities. The concern with using this profile is that racial stereotyping of minority groups will lead police to crack down on minorities more than on other groups. While police see the action of racial...
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...The test will focus on material covered since the Midterm Exam: Unit #7: Deviance and Social Control * Schaefer and Haaland, Ch. 7 * Wolf, “The Rebels: A Brotherhood of Outlaw Bikers” * Video: Faking the Grade Unit #8: Sociological Research Methods * Schaefer and Haaland, Ch. 2 Unit #9: Social Stratification / Politics and Economics * Schaefer and Haaland, Ch. 8 and Ch.14 * Bales, “A New Slavery” OR Reiter, “Serving the Customer: Fast Food is Not about Food” Unit #10: Global Inequality * Schaefer and Haaland, Ch. 9 * Eglitis, “How Economic Inequality Benefits the West” OR Klein, “The Discarded Factory….” * Video: NO LOGO Unit #11: Racial and Ethnic Inequality * Schaefer and Haaland, Ch. 10 and Ch. 16 pp. 375-377 * Video: The Real Avatar – optional Unit #12: Gender and Family * Schaefer and Haaland, Ch. 11 and Ch. 12 pp. 254-259, 262 and 265-267 * Adam, “Why Be Queer?” * Kimmel “Masculinity as Homophobia” * Video: Tough Guise 1. Explain how Daniel Wolf used participant observation to conduct research on biker gangs and how he used the interactionist perspective and labeling theory in his analysis. Define the term counter-culture, say how this concept applies to biker gangs, and use the conflict perspective to explain why people might join a counter-culture such as a biker gang. Use Merton’s anomie theory and the cultural transmission theory of deviance...
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...Referring back to the tragedy that took place in the United States, not only have Americans been reacting to those in a negative manner, Canadians have been as well. The ‘reaction’ has taken form in profiling. “Racial profiling is the use by the police of generalizations based on race, ethnicity, religion or national origin, rather than individual behaviour, specific suspect descriptions or intelligence” (Delsol, 2015). It becomes difficult to understand how profiling in this case reflects the ignorance of society; however, to judge someone based on physical appearance/characteristics without understanding who they are or without ‘knowledge’ proves incompetent. Considering 9/11 was a result of the lack of airport security, there has been an increase of security at the expense of Arabs/Muslims (Bahdi, 2003)....
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...When faced with the sociological paradigms of diversity, one is conflicted with many ideals of what is right in a society. Every culture has different socialized norms to conform to and spread among the community. Each culture has different ways of controlling the population into abiding by these norms. Some are influenced by religion, race, and their rank in the social hierarchy. The first article I read was about the use of biometrics by Coalition forces with the “war on terror”. The article explains how the use of biometric documentation of civilians is creating a system of controlling the population, and getting rid of life that is read to be potentially dangerous. The second article focuses on the racialization of surveillance in Canada’s North-West, and how the aim to manage the population of indigenous people is created by a system that still follows the societal normalities produced by settler societies. The system supports the racialization of society, and also feeds into the prejudice held against indigenous peoples. The third article I read focused on the racialized, and gendered sexual violence of honour crimes. Also the article looks at how honour crimes and cultural otherness brought on by people immigrating from places where the social norms are different or strongly held together by tradition and religion. The fourth and final article that I read talked about the tolerance at the Spanish- Moroccan border and the four racialized groups of people that occupy the...
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.........................................8 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................29 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................31 Research Proposal The goal of my research is to expose the racism in the criminal justice system that is so hidden. I want to show how racism contributes to the huge number of incarcerated African Americans. The criminal justice system creates and perpetuates racial hierarchy in the United States, and has done so throughout history. African Americans are criminalized and targeted because of their skin color. I want to look at the Reagan administration, the War on Drugs, corrupt police practices, media, inner city enforcement, police discretion, racial...
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...The history of national origin and racial exclusion in U.S. immigration laws serves as a lens into this nation's soul. There is no better body of law to illustrate the close nexus between race and class than U.S. immigration law and its enforcement. The United States also has a long history of restricting (if not outright excluding) entry of certain racial minority groups into the country. Transference of hate and displacement of frustration from one racial minority to another explain much in the heated racial dynamics of the twentieth century. Cognitive dissonance theory teaches us how the nation can be so harsh to noncitizens of color while claiming that racism is dead in America. . Immigration law expressly defines who can and cannot enter...
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...Policing in the United States is very unique and very confusing to other countries. As of 1999, there is approximately twenty thousand police agency’s locally and state wide here in the United States. As for other nations such as Canada they have 461, India has 22, Australia has 8, and England 43. However, in the United States these agencies are have overlapping jurisdictions, are loosely connected and have different levels of government. This consist of small towns, large cities, county, state township’s, and the federal departments as well. Mostly the major part of these departments handle routine duty’s such as patrolling, investigations of crime and murder, and responding to citizens’ complaints. Small departments employ fewer than 25 full time officers which equates to 81 percent or 11,015, then you have departments that employ approximately 5 full time officers which is 7.5 percent or roughly 1, 022, and the remaining rely heavily on part time or reserve officer’s. Then you have specialty departments that consist of airports, parks, agencies that enforce firearms, alcohol, and game or wildlife. Furthermore, you do have certain departments don’t fit into some of these categories such as county law enforcement (Sheriff). County law enforcement in some states only provide court house security, operate the county jails, serve papers for the courts, and assist other departments when called upon. Due to the different sizes and functions of these departments, it is to establish...
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...The Global War on Terrorism This was begun after the September 11th attacks on Washington and New York. For the last nine years the worlds has been in a constant state of vigilance for acts of terrorism. This is truly a global war in that the participants are from around the globe. There are many participants such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and smaller countries that I would have never thought to have a large military force, such as Kenya, Australia and Lebanon. Each country has different reasons for joining. The general party line is to secure the freedom of all counties from further al-Qaeda attacks. Yet everyone has a different opinion of the necessary outcome. During an interview with the Daily Telegraph, General David Richards stated “a victory is unnecessary and would never be achieved.” They could be contained to the point that our lives and our children’s lives are led securely. The Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, Ambassador Apakan told the committee, “We should be as vigilant and resilient as ever and counter-terrorism should remain a priority for the international community”. The first President Bush stated “This Crusade – this war on terrorism – is gong to take a while and the American people must be patient”. A few days later during a speech to Congress he said “Our war on terror begins with al-Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped...
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