Racism In The Judicial System

The Color of Justice There are countless injustices in America’s judicial system because of racism, whether it be subconscious or completely conscious. The racism deeply embedded within the American Judicial System needs to be radically reconstructed. Racism has to be recognized and then legally obliterated in order for African American men and women to ever receive a fair treatment by our justice system. The same subconscious racism that results in unfair and prejudicial treatment by judges and juries starts young, at home and in schools. Being acutely aware of how all Americans participate in all acts of racism is the key to liberating us all. Racism essentially starts with children, and in America, we’re doing just this, whether it be

First, in 2010, “African Americans accounted for more than a third of the arrests for violent crimes.” In 2010, according to the Census Bureau, African Americans only made up 13% of the population. In contrast, in 2010, whites made up about 73% of the population, and they accounted for about 60% of violent crimes according to the FBI. There is a clear discrepancy here. How do we know this is because of racial discrimination? The source goes on to say that “[t]he percentage of victims who say their perpetrator was black closely matches the percentage of African Americans arrested” (Costly, Andrew). This means that nearly every time there is a black perpetrator, said perpetrator is arrested. Even though white people make up more of those arrested for violent crimes, there are many more whites in the U.S. than African Americans. Furthermore, African Americans are only 14% of illegal monthly drug users and are 37% of those arrested for drugs (Quigley, Bill). From the U.S. Census Bureau and the NSDUH (the National Survey on Drug Use and Health), for every African American that has used drugs there are six white people that have used drugs. Then how are 37% of drug arrests African American? The only explanation for this would be a racial discrepancy. Michelle Alexander, civil rights advocate, professor at the Union Theological Seminary, and the author of New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of

He was a 24-year-old man who was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. In 2012, Chatman broke and entered to steal a $120 television. He got a harsh sentence of five years’ probation. Chatman was a model citizen. He attended every meeting, finished his community service, paid his restitution, and even kept his job. Later, in 2014, behind his back, Chatman was identified as a suspect in a convenience store robbery. Chatman was not arrested for the robbery. In 2015, he found out that he had been accused, so he turned himself in, because he knew he was innocent. Chatman wanted to enter an “Alford plea”, where the defendant pleads guilty but is still innocent. The judge didn’t take the offer, and he took Chatman to trial. There was no evidence for the case. There was no recovered money, no weapon, no video. Chatman was only identified a year after the crime was committed on facebook. The jury found Chatman guilty of all charges, but the judge, Jack Niedrach, wanted to send Chatman to jail, so he did. He revoked Chatman’s probation and sent him to jail until 2022 (Harriot, Michael). So Chatman is now in jail for a crime that he didn’t commit, wasting away his life behind bars. Chatman’s story clearly exhibits the racism in the American Judicial System. Even if you legally comply with everything that America’s laws require you to do, you can still be convicted for