Incarceration And Racial Profiling

As a young black male in 2017, our society has me racially profiled. Anytime they see a young black male like myself, eyebrows raise. Society does not view us as equals, they view us as a minority even though we are a majority. We are viewed as the ground the walk on. They think we will never amount to anything. The African American population has contributed so much to this country and we still don't get the respect we deserve. Society expects us to fail, drop out of school, live a life of crime. Society expects me to have four kids and three baby mamas and on probation bc I can't pay child support. Society expects me to deal drugs and be in gang related activities. If I am walking through a wealthy neighborhood after dark society expects

Michelle Alexander demonstrates in her book The New Jim Crow that systemic criminalization extends to other minority groups as well. The extent of this criminalization is shown through the control the criminal justice system exerts on minority lives. Alexander shows in The New Jim Crow that 1 in 3 young African American men are under the control of the criminal justice system through jail, prison, probation, or parole (9). Additionally, black men are 6 times more likely than white men to be incarcerated, and Latino men are 2.5 times more likely to be incarcerated than white men (Coalition on Homelessness, 56). The increased exposure to the criminal justice system that black and Latino men face not only threatens their future through the establishment of a criminal record, but it also reinforces ideas that black and Latino men are more criminally disposed than white men. These stereotypes only push black and Latino men with criminal records further away from the mainstream economy by making their applications for jobs and housing appear less attractive. These stereotypes also extend to people who do not even have criminal records, which marginalizes entire minority groups. This loss of influence comes from a variety of factors, mainly lower wages, a lessened ability to vote because of criminal

Alexander, M. (2010). The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. New

Racial issues are sometimes dismissed as history; they are thought of as issues of the past. People sometimes believe that since the government preaches equality, that most racial issues are resolved. This is not the case in today’s society, as racial issues are still prevalent in everyday life. Not only facing discriminatory practices in the job market, minorities face racism in many different aspects of everyday life. In the world we live in today, people tend to judge a whole group of people based on the actions of only a few. It is ironic that in the country that was founded on immigrants from every corner of the world can have people that discriminate against those that are from different ethnicities than them. There is a significant

“Slangin’ Rocks” by Robin D.G. Kelley, is an opinion essay about the treatment of “people of color” by United States law enforcement, in a historical and modern sense. The purpose of the essay is to persuade the reader to agree with the belief of the author, that U.S law enforcement treats “people of color” unfairly, and that the system itself needs to be changed. The essay begins with the author describing his own experience with law enforcement, which provides him with credibility on the topic and provides insight into why the essay was written (Kelley 21-23). The author’s personal story provides the reader with a specific example of how “people of color” are treated unfairly by law enforcement, and that

James A. Forbes, an interdenominational minister in New York, once said, “When people rely on surface appearances and false racial stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the level of the heart, mind and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised.” Forbes is saying that many humans judge by the color of the skin on the outside, rather than the fact that there is no difference on the inside. Humans also rely on the actions of those before that person with the same skin color. Unfortunately, humans do not try to get to know who a person really is and the personality of that person, they just assume that all African Americans are alike and not their own person. Statistics state that minority

Michelle Alexander proceeds with another rhetorical question to allow the audience to further reflect on the current situation and stress the corruption of the justice system “If McCleskey’s evidence was not enough to prove discrimination in the absence of some kind of racist utterance, what would be?” (Alexander 67). She uses facts and statistics prior to this “the researchers found that defendants charged with killing white victims were 4.3 times more likely to receive a death sentence than defendants charged with killing blacks” (Dissenting 321; referenced by Alexander 67) to assert evidence of the racial profiling present in the American justice system. The persuasive technique is used to assert her opinion towards the audience by relating

We live in a society where ethnic minorities are target for every minimal action and/or crimes, which is a cause to be sentenced up to 50 years in jail. African Americans and Latinos are the ethnic minorities with highest policing crimes. In chapter two of Michelle Alexander’s book, The Lockdown, we are exposed to the different “crimes” that affects African American and Latino minorities. The criminal justice system is a topic discussed in this chapter that argues the inequality that people of color as well as other Americans are exposed to not knowing their rights. Incarceration rates, unreasonable suspicions, and pre-texts used by officers are things that play a huge role in encountering the criminal justice system, which affects the way

When an individual commits a crime, the police make an arrest, the defendant stands trial in court and, if convicted, the judge sentences the defendant to prison (corrections) where he or she is required to serve the sentence. Although racial discrimination is viewed as morally wrong, several studies on racial disparity in the criminal justice system conclude that African-Americans are affected by such discrimination. The race industry and its elite enablers take it as self-evident that high black incarceration rates result from discrimination. In 2006, blacks were 37.5 percent of all state and federal prisoners, though they’re under 13 percent of the national population. About one in 33 black men were in prison in 2006, compared with one in 205 white men and one in 79 Hispanic men. Eleven percent of all black males between the ages of 20 and 34 are in prison or jail. The dramatic rise in the prison and jail population over the last three decades to 2.3 million people at the end of 2007 has only amplified the racial accusations against the criminal-justice system. “Either this country targets Latinos and black people for mass incarceration, or Latinos and black people are pathological criminals compared to this country 's heavenly white folk” (Rios). A white man could do the same crime as a black or Hispanic man but the person of color will get a bigger sentence. “While Latinos and black people make up about 30 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 59 percent of the U.S. male prison population. Considering that white people are this country 's majority group at 63 percent of the population, but are only 32 percent of the U.S. male prison population” (Rios). Blacks committed over 52 percent of all murders in America. In 2006, the black arrest rate for most crimes was two to nearly three times representation in the population. Blacks constituted 39.3 percent of all

The United States has changed immensely since slave time. Although the prejudice isn’t nearly as extreme as it was during slavery and the Jim Crow era, it is still ongoing. People who were raised with prejudice and racism in their homes are likely to pass the same ideals onto their children. So no matter how far we come as a society, there will always be some level of prejudice that exists. Things are certainly better than they were in the 60s and we have come a long way since then, however we still have work to do. The high African-American unemployment rate, police brutality, and racial profiling are just a few examples of the prejudice that exists today stemming from preconceived notions of African Americans. For over 367 years we had institutionalized

Being racially profiled is a part of day to day life as a black male, or maybe racial profiling happens way more of than it should, between black males and the police. Being judgmental most often gives the police tunnel vision to only see the fancy cars and the nice jewelry being worn by black males, and they automatically assume he is a drug dealer. The outward appearance often gives the police a preconceived notation about black males, due to the sagging pants and gold teeth, which in Police eyes marks them as less than a working-class citizen. Police often encounter African American males by traffic stops when driving, often times without probable cause, and executing illegal searches of that individual property. In today’s society, black males are more likely to be racially profiled by Police than any other male ethnicity, creating barriers, hatred, and distrust between black males and the police.

Minority groups, such as African Americans, have long experienced injustices within the criminal justice system. Although we have indeed seen a substantial reduction in overt racial prejudice over the last half-century, racial inequality within the criminal justice system is far from extinct. Over the course of the criminal justice system in the United States, African Americans have been unjustly profiled, pursued, and unlawfully convicted. While not discounting the progress that has been made in the treatment of African Americans, it is important to keep in mind that discrimination is still present. Further, racial biases are likely to exist outside of the White-Black dynamic, which is a question that should be addressed in future

The shooting of Trayvon Martin, a black teen, brutally shot by a neighborhood watchmen, George Zimmerman, brought up the discussion in America about a cruel, disgustingly common practice, racial profiling. Trayvon Benjamin Martin was a street smart boy living in Miami Gardens, Florida. He was home, visiting his father after a drug-related suspension from school. When Martin was calling his girlfriend, he was seen by the watchman, Zimmerman. Then, Zimmerman allegedly called the police, and was told not to move, or leave his car. After the conversation with the police, Zimmerman then stepped out of his vehicle and after an altercation, killed Martin. After the murder, Zimmerman was sent to court, he then claimed it was out of self defence, and because there were no witnesses, this couldn’t

Although, most witnesses are reluctant to stand up and testify against a prosecutor in any case, it is the fear of one’s safety and witness intimidation which is the reason many are hesitant to take action. An individual witness a violent crime in the neighborhood, and is able to identify the perpetrator, he should contact the authorities and testify against the criminal. Whenever someone is a witness to a crime, one’s should feel guilty if it is not reported. The witness of any crime should have integrity and do what is right and not fear what may happen because their rights are protected by the law. If you’ve witnessed a crime you should report it because you could potentially save someone’s life, and help put away a dangerous threat to

In the criminal justice system the goal is justice. To protect the people and punish and hopefully reform the people that have shown to threaten the greater good of society. Many people unwillingly become a part of the system. In the United States we have the largest incarceration rate compared to all developed countries. The national rate of incarceration for countries similar in size to the United States tends be around 100 prisoners per 100,000 population or 0.1 percent. The U.S. rate is 500 prisoners per 100,000 residents, 0.5 percent. Which was about 1.6 million prisoners in 2010, according to the latest available data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). 1.6 million People –American citizens- locked behind bars. The