Preview

Racial Disparities In The Criminal Justice System

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1547 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Racial Disparities In The Criminal Justice System
The criminal justice system in America is what helps to keep the population safe from harm, but it seems to be driven by racial biases. With over 2.2 billion people behind bars, mass incarceration is an issues facing the correctional system in America (Smith, 2015). These individuals have been sentenced to non-violent drug crimes and are mostly people of color. It is estimated that the likelihood of a black felon being sentenced to prison is 26 percent higher than that white individual found guilty of a felony (Sutton, 2013). Sentencing disparities in America are a fundamental issue in the criminal justice system. It is a real problem that affects the black population. Racial threat theory and social disorganization theory can be used to help …show more content…
Not only did minimum sentences add to the explosion in population, but it also added to the racial disparities. This is because one hundred grams of crack cocaine equaled one gram of powdered cocaine in the eyes of the criminal justice system. Crack cocaine is a drug often found in the inner city where people of color and economically disadvantaged people live, compared to powdered cocaine that is used by upper class white individuals. Judge John Geeson, a U.S. District Judge in the eastern district of New York, claims that an injustice is happening because of minimum sentences because only seven percent of the people affected by minimum sentencing laws are actual kingpins in the drug world (Smith, …show more content…
Most often called racial threat theory, which states that when the majority feels threatened by the minority (economically or politically) they will take action. This action will be in the form of legislation and the threat does not have to be real. Laws are created and the minority community is strictly targeted by these laws. Solutions to this problem would be to enact laws that do not specifically target the minority community. Also, ensuring that the police are not using racial profiling to target the minority community when enforcing laws.
The third ideology is complete denial that sentencing disparities occur. The solution to this would be increased research on the subject and publishing the finding. Simply educating the public that these things are occur. When the public calls for change then the government will be forced to enact changes. Even simple facts like, the probability of a black felon being sentenced to prison is 26 percent higher than that of a white individual who committed a felony, even though the Supreme Court has stated that strictly one’s race cannot be used to determine ones guilt or punishment (Sutton,
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Assess the View That Ethnic Differences in Crime Are the Result of the Way in Which the Criminal Justice System Operates
    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Assess the View That Ethnic Differences in Crime Are the Result of the Way in Which the Criminal Justice System Operates

    In the early phase of post-war immigration, there was an assumption that members of ethnic minority groups were no more likely to be offenders or victims than the majority white population. It was also assumed that the criminal justice system treated all ethnic groups fairly. According to a major investigation into police and immigrant relations in 1972 ‘black people were more law-abiding than the general population’ and there was little evidence against Black and Asian immigrants with regards to an increase in crime rates (Layton-Henry, 1992). During the next 10 years, however, relations between the police and the black community deteriorated and evidence mounted of increasing racist attacks.…

    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Understanding Incarceration Disparities: Stage-Level Analysis
    • 3561 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Understanding Incarceration Disparities: Stage-Level Analysis

    On August 8th, 2013 United States Attorney General Eric Holder made history when he announced the nearing end of the mandatory minimum-era in federal sentencing policy in his speech to the American Bar Association in San Francisco. In his address Holder lamented the condition of the Federal Justice System, expressing concern over astronomical incarceration rates, lack of inmate rehabilitation, and discouraging recidivism rates. It was racial disparities in sentencing, however, which garnered the majority of Holder’s attention.…

    • 3561 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Race-Based Theory In Criminal Justice
    • 139 Words
    • 1 Page

    Race-Based Theory In Criminal Justice

    Race-based theory plays a major role in predicting substantial and institutionalized discrimination that is always aimed at minorities within the systems of criminal justice. Racial discrimination in the criminal systems is mainly carried out by police, judges in the courts and agencies which carry out corrections in the United States. Evidence of criminal discrimination against African Americans and Hispanics found in the United States highlights some of the discrimination incidences that the minorities go through. Discrimination against minorities is popularly explained as a purpose of little position of their socioeconomic actions rather than indigenous or racial status. There are two race-based conflict theories which address the discrimination…

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Pros And Cons Of Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
    • 1908 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Pros And Cons Of Mandatory Minimum Sentencing

    This was not the intention of mandatory minimum sentencing when it was introduced, but the unfair treatment of minorities was a result. Mandatory minimum sentences have also led people to give false information about other offenders in order to try and reduce their own sentence. A low level drug offender will be willing to give information and make someone appear to be a “high level trafficker” even if that is not the case.2 Also, prosecutors are willing to work with anyone who will provide information to them, because it makes them look better if they can convict two separate offenders after only one person was originally arrested. Finally, police officers also have the ability of discretion and can decide to arrest or let people off with a warning. The broken windows policing model states that deteriorated neighborhoods, often in urban areas are more likely to experience criminal activity than suburban, civil neighborhoods.5 This leads to more minorities than white people being arrested and ultimately serving mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses.…

    • 1908 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The New Jim Crow: Is Colorblindness This Generation
    • 1161 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The New Jim Crow: Is Colorblindness This Generation

    Alexander, who for many years worked as a civil rights lawyer, uses her vast experience and knowledge concerning the criminal justice system to craft a meticulously researched argument that “colorblindness” is this generation’s most important civil rights issue. As the title indicates, she makes the bold claim that mass incarceration is the 21st century version of Jim Crow. This era in our racial history was one in which brutally devastating laws discriminated and segregated black populations. During Jim Crow, the idea of justice did not exist for black people within law enforcement or court systems. Though her argument is daring, Alexander successfully proves it by analyzing the criminal justice system. She discusses multiple ideas to formulate a case for individuals who are interested in social justice that refocus efforts to tackle the issue of over-populated prisons. In the books introduction, Alexander asserts that she is writing for an audience that cares deeply about racial justice, but also, she wants to empower individuals who have a impression that our nation’s criminal justice system is flawed, but do not have the data or evidence to back up their assumptions.…

    • 1161 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Executive Summary: Racism In The Criminal Justice System
    • 1791 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Executive Summary: Racism In The Criminal Justice System

    In the United States most people do not see racism in the criminal justice system as a major issue. That’s because the majority of citizens in this country aren’t involved with our criminal justice system, which is a good thing. There are also a lot of people that are involved with our criminal justice system for good and bad reasons. Throughout the history of this country racism has always been a major issue, and still is today on some terms, but if you were to get law enforcement involved, I believe there would be many different opinions. When it comes to racism and any issue people in this country could go on forever with their opinions about who is right and who is wrong. The big question being asked…

    • 1791 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Racial Difference in the Corrections Sytsem
    • 2668 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Racial Difference in the Corrections Sytsem

    Kansal, T. (2005, January). Racial disparity in sentencing: A review of the literature. Retrieved from http://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/sp/disparity.pdf…

    • 2668 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Racial Disparities In Juvenile Justice System
    • 191 Words
    • 1 Page

    Racial Disparities In Juvenile Justice System

    This report will demonstrate racial and ethnic disparities in Juvenile Justice System in the United States. The report will outline the major reasons for why Juvenile Justice System need to be reform, what the effect the incarcerates of more than 1,600 children who are overwhelming majority of color and from low-income families, What is racial disparities, how does racial and ethnic disparities affect the people of color communities, and how to reduce racial disparity. The report will also have arguments on what rights the juvenile have. The research for this report was primarily obtained from books published in Criminal Justice and Juvenile Justice Publications and an article from the web on juvenile Justice Reform.…

    • 191 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Institutional Racism In The Criminal Justice System
    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Institutional Racism In The Criminal Justice System

    Institutional Racism Institutional racism is the concept of race and the idea of a racial hierarchy playing a large role in the creation and maintaining of certain institutions. For instance, in the criminal justice system, a system dominated by white men, the power lies in those who wish to keep it. Thus these men are more likely to incarcerate and profit off of those they are afraid of, in this case other races, and try to dominate over them, entrenching the system in racist ideas. Institutional Racism is what leads to the large number of ethnic and racially diverse prisoners, as well as the incredibly fast growing number of female african americans being put to jail.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Minorities In The Criminal Justice System
    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Minorities In The Criminal Justice System

    justice system, particularly in cases where darker-skinned people from a diversity of racial backgrounds including African Americans, and Latinos—being treated worse than their lighter-skinned folks by whites or even members of their own racial community.Early America, blacks were torchered for the slightest violation of informal laws and a lot of times they were blamed for crimes they did not even commit but the person getting them in trouble was most likely a white,so everyone believed the white. Many years later passing the 20th century,as the judicial system has matured, minorities have found better representation and are standing up to whites but it…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Diversity In The Criminal Justice System
    • 207 Words
    • 1 Page

    Diversity In The Criminal Justice System

    Diversity plays a very important role in society. Today, there are many people travelling all over the world and rather than being divided, people now-a-days tend to be more integrated. Diversity in the criminal justice system has become more known due to the impact of media being incorporated in every aspect of life. The role of a person’s ethnicity is modeled by the way they behave, their culture and their religious beliefs. Morally, it is right for another person not to only accept another’s race, ethnicity, or religion, it is also encouraged for a person to embrace it. Learning to understand someone for the way they were raised and accepting them for the way they look is a key aspect of integration.…

    • 207 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Racial Disparity In Prison Research Paper
    • 1842 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Racial Disparity In Prison Research Paper

    Today’s incarcerated youth is made up by two-fifths African-American and one fifth Hispanic. Today’s minority youth are facing stricter punishment than their white counterparts, resulting in a larger number of minority youth jailed. The article, “Preliminary Report on Race and Washington’s Criminal Justice System” (Anonymous, 2012), states that “African-Americans are over represented in the prison population because they commit a disproportionate number of crimes”. This seems to be an unfair judgment due to the fact that minorities are more than two times more likely to be searched or stopped for any kind of criminal activity based on the color of their skin. For example, “among felony drug offenders, black defendants were 62% more likely to be sentenced to prison than similarly situated white defendants.” (Anonymous, 2012) Also once convicted, African-Americans were 21% more likely to receive harsher punishment compared to white offenders with a sentence that is 10% longer than white offenders that committed similar offences. Racism in our judicial system are present at different stages of our criminal justice system including but not limited to arrest, charging, conviction, and imprisonment. According to recent research, done by the Department of Education, minority students made up more than 70% of arrested youth in the 2009-2010 school year. Young African-Americans have a higher rate of youth incarceration and are more likely to be imprisoned as adults than white…

    • 1842 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Disparity And Discrimination In Criminal Justice
    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Disparity And Discrimination In Criminal Justice

    Disparity and discrimination in the criminal justice system causes lack of equality based on the certain individual’s religious beliefs, color of skin and background. We live in a world where discrimination and disparities should no longer exist but unfortunately they do. The people around us are the ones who make the world what it is today therefore seeing someone for the way they look and not looking deeper into ones personality is very immoral and unethical. Stereotyping against individuals because of stories you hear will cause false judging and more conflict. Discrimination and disparities are always visible even within the criminal justice field because each individual in the field has their own attitude and beliefs regardless of what the law states.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Race In The Criminal Justice System
    • 169 Words
    • 1 Page

    Race In The Criminal Justice System

    The role of race plays a prominent role in the U.S. criminal justice system. The United States claims to have a race-neutral criminal justice system but the number of arrested black men is significantly higher than white men even though whites are just as likely to be guilty of several crimes, especially drugs. The system, according to Alexander, leads to discriminatory results throughout each stage of the criminal justice process. The rates of black imprisonment cannot be explained by crime rates because discrimination in the system invalidates crime rates. Racial disparities start with the initial stop, search and arrest to the plea bargaining and sentencing, keeping the undercaste majorly black and brown. I believe a major ethical issue…

    • 169 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    African American Criminology
    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages

    African American Criminology

    Throughout the decades, African Americans have been mistreated by the criminal justice system for its teaching to its actual doings. From the lecture halls of universities teaching of criminology has revolved on a bad image of African Americans. That led to those who studied criminology to obtain a job in the field that allowed them to demonstrate what they have been taught. Historians and researchers have come up with a set amount of information that allows us to understand this and how it has influenced the criminal justice system as a whole from its history during Jim Crow to the teachings of the criminal justice system.…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics