Preview

African American Vs Criminal Justice System Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1682 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
African American Vs Criminal Justice System Essay
Black America vs. the Criminal Justice System
I. Introduction
A. One significant problem faced among the judicial system is the injustice involving African Americans with sentencing and racial profiling. Not only will the individual and society response be discussed but the expert’s theories and alternative solutions will be included.
II. African Americans facing injustice within the judicial system.
A. Sentencing for crimes committed compared to other races.
1. Marissa Alexander, a black mother, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after shooting a warning shot to scare her abusive husband. No one was injured in her choice to shoot the warning shoot but Amber Cummings, a 32 year old mother, did not face any jail time for killing her husband
…show more content…
African Americans also has a higher chance of being stalked or watched closely in department stores. For example: Barneys, a high-in department store is now under fire for its practices when facing minorities. Two young African Americans have come forward with their issues faced when shopping in Barneys. One young man, Trayon Christian was put in handcuffs after an employee of Barneys called the police to report a fraudulent credit card used by the African American male and later found out the credit card was real. Kayla Philips purchased a 2300.00 pursed and was later stop by the police upon leaving the store. (Harris, 2013, p. 1)
III. Expert’s Opinion on the problem.
A. Both David Harris and Randall Kennedy have research and exam research on the topic of racial profiling.
1 David Harris is a law professor at University of Pittsburg School of Law and has found that in 2003, many of the traffic vehicle stops resulted in illegal substances and goods being found by police officers. When Harris calculated the traffic vehicle stops he came across that White Americans contributed to most of the stops and that “that racial profiling is a counterproductive law enforcement strategy as well as a controversial one.” (Collica, 2012, chp.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Eugene Robinson’s essay “You Have the Right to Remain a Target of Racial Profiling,” Robinson argues that police officers still racially profile when pulling over people for traffic offenses. He uses a Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics report that states that white, African-American and Hispanic drivers are equally likely to be pulled over by the police in a traffic stop. He doesn’t believe this to be true and delves deeper into the findings. Robinson notes that African-Americans and Hispanics are much more likely to be searched and be the subject of “police use of force”. Black drivers were also twice as likely to be arrested as white drivers, and Hispanics were more likely to receive a ticket. Whites were more likely to receive written or verbal warnings that blacks or…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In terms of motorists, in 2005 Black drivers were three times more likely to be stopped and searched by police than Whites, and were twice as likely than White drivers to be arrested during a traffic stop (“Reality of Racial Profiling”). These findings demonstrate that police are more likely to target people of color than Whites and case studies have shown that this practice is counterproductive and a misallocation of law enforcement resources. For example, in Arizona although Black motorists were more likely than Whites to be stopped and searched, Whites who were searched were more likely to be carrying contraband (“Reality of Racial Profiling”). The case study in Arizona exemplifies a problem in the criminal justice system that must be addressed. Minority motorists are more likely than White motorists to be stopped and harassed by police based off the inherent belief that people of a minority race, ethnicity, or religion are more likely to engage in criminal or unlawful activity than…

    • 1380 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Racial Profiling is a controversial law enforcement practice that brings about numerous complex ethical and policy considerations. As defined by report for the Department of Justice (Tamir 2009), racial profiling is “any police-initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than the behavior of an individual or information that leads police to a particular individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity.” Generally, the use of race in conjunction with other evidence has been a common method of investigation for law enforcement officials. However, the use of race in targeting potential suspects has been the center of a complex legal and ethical debate. Specifically, the debate surrounding racial profiling offers the issue of the proper use of race in targeting a suspect in a criminal investigation. Though the use of race can be important in investigative and law enforcement tactics, the practice of racial profiling leads to the potential of abusive actions by law enforcement in the pursuit of apprehending criminal suspects.…

    • 1414 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the United States of America racial discrimination still exists to this day. Minorities in our country are not seen as equal people. When a person is deprived of their human rights it makes them feel degraded and troubled. In order to become a more civilized country, we must forget the color of our own skin and live with each other as one. In the article “Why Racial Profiling is a Bad Idea” by Tom Head, discusses the way cops pay more attention to those of minority races and how they usually find them guilty of crimes they didn’t commit. Even though many officers will deny their participation in this type of profiling, a lot use this tactic to pull over and arrest Minority races. The article “Racial Profiling Lives On” by Devon Carbado, Cheryl Harris and Kimberle Crenshaw, also displays examples of how racial profiling continues to this day. There are many ways cops can search/arrest African Americans or other Minorities for no reason and still keep from breaking the Fourth Amendment and the authors of “Racial Profiling Lives On” supports there claims with emotional examples that appeal to a pathological type of audience.…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    stop and frisk policy

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    1. BIAS IN POLICE STOPS? In the late 1990s, popular, legal, and political concerns were raised across the United States about police harassment of minority groups in their everyday encounters with law enforcement. These concerns focused on the extent to which police were stopping people on the highways for “driving while black” (seeWeitzer 2000; Harris 2002; Lundman and Kaufman 2003). Additional concerns were raised about racial bias in pedestrian stops of citizens by police predicated on “zero-tolerance” policies to control quality-of-life crimes and policing strategies concentrated in minority communities that targeted illegal gun possession and drug trafficking (see Fagan, Zimring, and Kim 1998; Greene 1999; Skolnick and Caplovitz 2001; Fagan and Davies 2000, 2003; Fagan 2002; Gould and Mastrofski 2004).…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Minorities are often the target of this program. “In the world of young Blacks and Latinos New York City, it has become a likelihood rather than possibility” (Hicks). Blacks and Latinos, mainly amongst the younger generations, have continuously become the primary target of stop and frisk. Not only are these tactics immoral, but they create a further distrust between the community and police. They instill fear into the people on a very personal level. Knowing that the police already view them as suspects, Black and Latino communities are more likely to commit a crime.…

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A 2001 U.S. Department of Justice report found that “although African Americans and Hispanics were much more likely than White persons to be stopped and searched, they were about half as likely to be in possession of contraband” (Harris, 73). Racial profiling is not only discriminatory, but also counter-productive. When used, the percentage of discovering unlawful conduct is lower than when racist stereotypes aren’t mixed in with police work. Ethnic profiling is built upon the idea that minorities are more likely to commit crimes compared to white people, and this school of thought is the reason that racial profiling was doomed from the…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To what degree can ethnicity or race be utilized to target innocent individuals for stops, searches, and arrests? Although racism has always existed, through the past decade it has become more apparent. The United States has constantly fought difficult battles to put a stop against racism and discrimination. A numerous amount of faultless lives and liberties have been lost in search for racial equality. Unfortunately, racial profiling has become a more serious controversial issue in law enforcement practices that has reached public attention.…

    • 172 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The volatile issues that surrounds “racial profiling” has led police agencies across the nation to start collecting information about traffic stops, especially for people of color. The controversy is supported by research that police officers may be racially biased in their decision making to stop someone. The article that was published in 2012 studies the consensus and conflict theories concerning racial disparities in the rate of police stops. The author suggested that both police deployment and race out of place arguments played a significant role in explaining the patterns of street stops, traffic stops, probable cause and consent searches.…

    • 140 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The majority of society believes that racial profiling does not exist, yet it does. Racial profiling creates the psychological assumption that all minorities will most likely engage in criminal activity, whether it is intentional or unintentional. This form of criminal action is illegal and is a transparent form of racism. Racial profiling is a severe problem in today’s society, whether it is in the U.S or in other countries. This sort of action is not based on one category. It can be based on race, gender, appearance, religion, etc. Racial profiling and the inability to protect to the minority society has prevented the minorities from trusting the law enforcement. According to Ramirez (2000), racial profiling is defined as any police action…

    • 1130 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial Profiling Memo

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Minorities are more likely to be stopped than whites, and also are more likely to allow their vehicles to be searched. In the west coast, police are told to target Colombian males, Hispanics posing as a couple, and Hispanic males and African Americans driving together, for they are more likely to carry drugs than other races (Callahan & Anderson, 2001).…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Given the literature reviewed, there are three things that are clear. First, Racial profiling is real. Many media channels claim that there is no substance behind it. Yet, although it is real, it has not yet garnered the scholarly consideration it deserves. Current studies of racial profiling almost exclusively focus on one facet of African American lives, driving. Considering that most people, including minorities, spend considerable amounts of time in retail institutions, it seems that a rich area of potential research has gone unnoticed or has received less notice due to its connection to private security, which is probably the least studied zone of criminal justice. There are a few likely directions for future racial profiling research.…

    • 241 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Jim Crow

    • 2047 Words
    • 9 Pages

    In the book “The New Jim Crow” author Michelle Alexander talks about numerous issues of racial inequality in our criminal justice system. Alexander’s book is something every person who even has an interest in the criminal justice field should read, as it really looks beyond the color of a person’s skin. Alexander points out the vast majority of the problems our criminal justice system faces in racial inequality and discrimination. These problems have really formed our country to what it is to this day. Most people feel that society as a whole is past discrimination and that it is no longer a problem anymore. In reality, it is still a major problem in many aspects of our criminal justice system as well as the everyday lives of Americans. In all honesty I was one of them, but “The New Jim Crow” really opened my eyes on the discrimination that occurs within minorities in the United States. Reflecting back on this issue I had realized that I have witnessed this first hand with one of my close friends who is an African American male. I will get into more detail about this later on in my paper, but for now I am going to address some of the issues of racial inequality in the criminal justice system that Alexander mentioned.…

    • 2047 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Racial Profiling

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages

    People of color get pulled over more than white people. Is it because the people of color are all criminals or because the police are getting lazier? people who use racial profiling usually have a negative perception or judgment about African Americans. Racial profiling is a hot subject in the world today. Racial profiling is a fact of life for many Americans today, and I for one think it’s sad. Authors Ahmed Rehab and Randall Kennedy both comment on the negative impact that racial profiling has on society today in America. These authors helped me to see the reason why racial profiling is still used, but at the same time they helped to confirm my position on why racial…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In American life race has played and will continue to be an important role in the criminal justice system. For several years the criminal system has failed to maintain “justice” and will conclude to an answer depending on the victim’s profile. Many cases are taken to court but surprisingly lots of them don’t win or aren’t able to achieve justice for the reason that everything falls in the same category which is depending on the victims profile. Statistics have shown that the number of African Americans in prison is higher than Whites meaning that eventually race can determine who goes to jail. Most cases aren’t resolved with an actual justification which leads to incarcerate the wrong victim who then has his live ruined because an unfair move…

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays