Racial Bias In The Criminal Justice System

Taking all of the studies, background knowledge, and statistics into consideration, I do believe that there is an unproportionate amount of black men serving time in the criminal justice system. It has been proven that men of color are particularly likely to be imprisoned, in comparison to their non black counterparts. “African Americans serve virtually as much time in prison for a drug offense (58.7 months) as whites do for a violent offense (61.7 months). (Sentencing Project)” The sentencing of black men is commonly dealt with in a harsher manner, than with other races. There are specific laws and stereotypes that continue to be upheld by society, which specifically work against the favor of black men. The issue of predominantly black areas

The performance of a police officer is always under a microscope especially when it comes to dealing with people from another race. There is also the idea that police officers use racial profiling to conduct and solve many of the crimes that are happening in their neighborhood. The racial profiling aspect is very sensitive and it can be difficult to determine if in reality it is happening because this is coming from someone else 's perception.

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

African Americans have faced injustice and discrimination for centuries. One major problem blacks had to overcome was the institution of slavery. Slavery in the United States began in 1619 and ended in 1865 with the ratification of the 13th amendment. This declared that all forms of slavery or servitude be outlawed. Yet even after the conclusion of slavery, blacks had to face discrimination and prejudice until they were viewed as equal. But one problem that African Americans still face is the unfairness of the American prison and criminal justice system.

Racial profiling has become a worldwide epidemic. Within law enforcement circles and its practices, has become a contentious issue. It occurs every day, in cities and towns across the country, where law enforcement and private security target minorities without evidence of criminal activities. Law enforcement is responsible for humiliating and frightening these groups with: detentions, interrogations, and searches. It can be triggered based on perceived race, ethnicity, origin, or religion. Racial profiling is illegal, violating the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection under the law. Numerous legal debates and personal tensions over the legitimacy of such practices and its’ justifications, have caused notice for restoration and improvement

Race is “A social category defined on the basis of physical characteristics” (Yetman, p.3). Race is a abstract concept that society has constructed to group people based on their physical appearance. Institutional racism is an covert form of discrimination, but historically institutional racism was overt. My focus is on the Muslim and black community in America, because I relate to these two groups since I am muslim and black. I will discuss the institutional racism the Muslim and black community face in American society.

When it comes to racial profiling by the police in the criminal justice system, African Americans are more often racially profiled than any other race in America today. This has become a problem because not ever black individual is a criminal and not every criminal is black. Therefore, there needs to be some sort of resolution to this epidemic. “By analyzing data from 4.5 million traffic stops in 100 North Carolina cities, Stanford researchers have found that police in that state are more likely to search black and Hispanic motorists, using a lower threshold of suspicion, than when they stop white or Asian drivers” (Andrews, E., 2016).

Everyday growing up as a young black male we have a target on our back. Society was set out for black males not to succeed in life. I would always hear my dad talk about how police in his younger days would roam around the town looking for people to arrest or get into an altercation with. As a young boy growing up I couldn’t believe some of the things he said was happening. However as I got older I would frequently hear about someone getting killed by the police force. It still didn’t click but I knew what was happening. Growing up police brutality wasn’t broadcasted as much as it should’ve have been. This then made me think about how to improve police brutality not only dealing with African Americans but also with other colored skinned people.

Many people would answer yes to the controversial topic of do minorities get unfairly targeted by law enforcement. But not only are minorities targeted unfairly, they also get treated unfairly through the legal system.

Describe racial profiling and racially biased policing. Explain why these phenomena have become significant issues in policing. What steps have been taken to eliminate racial bias among police?

Not all trials are impeccable. The issue of racial disparity has been a serious problem of the United States. Especially in the criminal justice system category. For in criminal justice system today racial inequality is increasing not receding. This is because today, our justice system remotes the idea of fair trials and discriminate many African Americans and other minorities as well without realizing it. These victims of inappropriate racial profiling are mostly target from bias judges and jury members. For jury members are imperfect humans who often use cliche stereotypes as evidence while determining a person’s fate and don 't recognize or comprehend what their doing is wrong. Since, our society makes prejudice and racism as a thing in

they retracted their statements within two weeks, claiming that police had coerced them to make false confessions.

Implicit bias is as sinister as obvious racism, because it operates undetected. We fail to interrogate how our fears of Black people, especially Black men, caveats the humanity of an entire segment of America. In order to receive the benefit of the doubt from judges, juries, the media, you, or I, officers who kill unarmed blacks merely need to use trigger words and phrases like "thug" or "afraid" or "feared for my life" or "reached for his waistband" or "I thought he had a gun."

On August 9th 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson Missouri. On November 24th, the St. Louis grand jury decided there were no probable cause to indict Mr. Wilson. This decision sparked an outrage around the community where building where set on fire and lootings were prevalent around the city. With much of the evidence being he-say-she-say, it is hard for the public to actually know what happened. This led to an increased interest in body cameras. Body cameras should be required by federal law to protect officers, citizens, and prevent police brutality.

Police brutality will be an issue until a solution is created. Many individuals are victims of this form of assault on daily basis. The liberties held by law enforcement are challenged each time they perform their duties. Police officers should abide by the same laws that each citizen is expected to abide by. Although police officers are granted with the right to determine laws as constitutional, civilians are sometimes treated in ways that are beyond unlawful.