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Racism in the criminal justice system
Racism in the criminal justice system
Racism in the criminal justice system
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One example of institutionalized racism that was demonstrated in 13th is the mass incarcerations of minorities. I think it is a problem not only because there is a disproportionate amount of minorities but also because people do not realize this is happening. It is institutionalized racism because after being in prison these minorities cannot vote or get a job and therefore puts them at a disadvantage. I think getting people to realize this problem is the first step to address it but I am not sure what should happen next.
Racism is an ongoing issue which had been taking place for centuries. Racism can take various forms, direct, indirect, individual or institutional. Institutional racism however, has been questioned frequently recently in light of criminal justice system, especially and more noticeably in the US now, where many believe the police is treating/handling black people unfairly comparing to other ethnic groups. According to Macpherson (1999) institutional racism is where organisation does not provide appropriate service due to someone’s colour, culture or ethnic origin, and can take form of racial discrimination in forms of attitudes, behaviours and processes. Macpherson developed this definition when undertaking an inquiry of Stephen Lawrence, a black child who was murdered
Assurance in equal justice remains as an overwhelming political principle of American culture. Yet withstanding unbelief exists among numerous racial and ethnic minorities. Their doubt comes as no surprise, given a past filled with differential treatment in the arrangement of criminal equity, an issue particularly clear in police misconduct. Researchers have investigated police responses to racial and ethnic minorities for quite some time, offering sufficient confirmation of minority burden on account of police. These examinations raise doubt about different police techniques of coercive control, maybe none more so than police brutality.
Racism has come out in many forms like for example police violence. Police violence is one of the major racist ways that has affected and been seen by the world. Police violence is all around the world and happens all the time but, having it mixed with racism is even worse. In 2016 the police by itself has killed 6.66 per million people and compared to the white people in America is 2.9 per million which is a big difference which is also telling people that something is wrong and happening that involves the police which has been put down to racism. More events that involve racism like the Micheal Brown case where a teenager was shot 6 times!
“Racial profiling is a highly salient issue in black communities” (Wilkins and Williams, 2008, pg. 654). Consequently, police officers racial profiling has diminished the relationship with minorities and “communities in the coproduction of public safety and order” (Wilkins and Williams, 2008, pg. 655). In their study, Wilkins and Williams (2008) found that for each month in 2000, the data yield a sample size of 96 in the difference between the percentage of stops in the division consisting a black driver and the percentage of the black driving-age population (pg. 658). For example, in May 2000, the data yield 7% of the vehicle stops in the Northern division involved black drivers, while only 1% of the driving-eligible population in that division was black, in which producing a racial disparity measure of 6% for that month (pg. 658). Based on the finding, Wilkins and Williams determined that the structure and processes of an organization can affect the representation provided by the bureaucrats working there.
Another form of discrimination is police brutality to black minorities. Black minorities in the United states of america are beaten, violated and murdered by officers of the law that sword to protect and serve them. Police brutality is an issue that needs to be stopped. One example of police brutality was the incident regarding Michael Brown. Michael Brown was a 18 year old African American that was fatally shot by a white officer by the name of Darren Wilson.
From recent polls, it was gathered that eighty-eight percent of blacks agree they are treated unfair by law enforcement, and a fifty-nine percent of whites also agree blacks are treated unfairly (Dobson). This shows it is not only blacks who feel this way, but other races see it too. In a poll, the question asked was, “Have you been treated unfairly in dealing with police in the past thirty days because of your racial/ethnic background?” After viewing the results, it shows only three percent of whites said yes, while nineteen percent blacks said yes (Drash). From everything that people see from the results of all the polls, it is shown the relationship between police and minorities is
There are numerous issues that deal with the American criminal justice system, but the two I found most prominant that occur on a daily basis is the abuse from police officers and clear racism shown by the American criminal justice system. To begin, racism as we know is a prejudice directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior. In the criminal justice system African Americans are directly targeted and punished in a higher more aggressive way, than say someone who is caucasian and committed the same exact crime. Racism is more often than not, the motive for official misconduct. There are examples of racism from every known region in the United States, spanning across centuries from slavery to
The presence of this hidden practice of the police is also prevalent in African American communities and has shaped African Americans’ perception of the police. One quote that explains the temperament of African Americans towards the police is, “One of the most reliable findings in research on attitudes toward police is that citizen distrust is more widespread among African-Americans than whites” (Brunson 2007:73). “African Americans have had to deal with aggressive policing associated with racial profiling and other direct experiences with racial discrimination that lead to lasting adverse effects on individual perceptions of the police. For example, in predominantly black neighborhoods they are always pat down for drugs no matter where they go” (Brunson 2007:76). “If they see us every five
The findings also revealed that race and experience within criminal justice system were significant predictors of attitudes toward police misconduct. White respondents were more likely to report that police misconduct was rare, whereas respondents that had been charged or arrested believed that police misconduct was common. In addition, male respondents, higher educated respondents, and respondents concerned about property crime were more likely to perceive lower levels of police misconduct. Conversely, respondents who reported that there were serious crime problems within their neighborhood were more likely to believe that police misconduct was plentiful. (Dowler
In the law review, the idea of implicit racism is further explained with the explanation of them being “implicit associations,” categories that the brain assign to things to make sense of them in a fast almost automatic way. Law enforcements were shown to be victims of these implicit associations by looking at the unequal use of “stop and frisk” by NYPD officers. “Stop and frisk” is the ability of police officers to stop and quickly search and person without a warrant as long as they have “reasonable suspicion.” What has been found is that this suspicion is easily influenced by the implicit racial bias of police officers that leads them to view African Americans as suspicious. Data from the over use
One of the greatest challenges law enforcement are facing is providing effective policing for minority communities. Some factors that prevent minorities from gaining access to justice or being taken advantage of certain criminal justice services are language barriers, racial stereotyping, and cultural differences. Since the 30 's and 40 's, and even during the 60 's, civil rights activists damaged the police-minority relations in the United States, believing that police only interest are protecting white communities. A big explanation of why there 's a poor police-minority relations in the United States is racism on the part of the individual officers. Many minorities in the United States have continued to complain about being treated more harshly than whites and the Department of Justice believes that racial profiling and police discrimination will continue to be a big problem.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, departments that serve less than 2,500 people are 84.4% white and departments that serve millions are 53.4% white (as cited in Fifield, 2016). Notably, Over the years, a lack of diversity within law enforcement has become a pertinent issue. Notably, the underrepresentation of minorities within law enforcement influences the relationship between communities and law enforcement by engendering distrust with law enforcement. To say nothing of, underrepresentation of minorities have had many people question whether departments mirror a diverse community. Nevertheless, with that being said, underrepresentation of minorities have generated tension and distrust between communities and law enforcement and many believe that police department need to mirror the race composition within their cities.
Throughout history, disputes and tensions between law enforcement officials and communities of minorities have endured hostility and violence between each other. Racial profiling has become a “hot topic” for researchers as well as for politicians and by now it is likely that most citizens are at least aware of the common accusations of racial bias pitted against law enforcement (Cochran & Warren, 2013). Communities of color are being discriminated against and racially profiled by white police officers for any suspicion of criminal activities. It has been widely assumed by policy makers and citizens alike that allegations of racial profiling are mostly associated with the policing practices of white officers and their treatment of racial and ethnic minorities (Cochran & Warren, 2013). Also, individuals of minority descent will certainly recognize that they are being racially profiled during a stop that is being conducted by a white police officer.
Pre-existing beliefs of ethnic minorities from the media, police sub-culture or other micro-level influences mean that ethnic minorities are more likely to be stopped by the police than white people in an occupational culture where targeting is encouraged (see Cashmore, 2001; Bowling et al, 2008). Such targeting mandates are guided by discretion and are likely to become entrenched in the structural policies of the police. It is in such a situation that institutional racism finds its expression. Oakley (1999, p.290) defines the term as ‘the way institutions or organizations may systematically treat, or tend to treat, people differently in respect of "race"’. When such patterns of ill-treatment are repeated continuously, they take on a ‘rule-like status’ and cannot be easily disrupted (see Haney-Lopez 2000, p. 1723).
