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Racial Bias In Criminal Justice Essay

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Racial bias has played a significant role in the criminal justice system throughout history, and it continues to play one to this day. Whether it comes to police brutality, sentencing, rehabilitation, bail, etc., race is a relevant factor in so many of these criminal justice topics. The criminal justice system was not built to help those who are low income or those who are a person of color. Unfortunately, being low income and a person of color often go hand in hand in the criminal justice system. When there are statistics to prove how people of color are treated differently than those who are not, it has become a problem. In the United States criminal justice system, crimes are punished based on who the criminal is, and not what the crime is.
One of the many ways that race is relevant in the criminal justice system is when it comes to arrests. Regardless of what the crime is, race will often play a role in a police officer’s decision on whether or not to arrest a person. …show more content…

However, racial bias also plays a role in the juvenile justice system. When looking at the population of detention centers and training schools, black males are four times more at risk of being a part of this population than white males are (Leiber & Fix, 2019). Going back to the 1990s, 41% of juveniles in detention centers were black (Leiber & Fix, 2019). In 1995, 68% of the detention centers population was made up of minorities (Leiber & Fix, 2019). These juveniles who were minorities were also more likely to be sent to an adult court (Leiber & Fix, 2019). By sending these juveniles to an adult court, they are facing the risk of being punished more harshly than they would have been if they were convicted in a juvenile court. Once a juvenile is involved with the criminal justice system, they are more likely to reoffend and continue being involved with the criminal justice system as they become

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