Explore How Black People Are Differently Treated by the Criminal Justice System
EXPLORE HOW BLACK PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENTLY TREATED BY THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Racial prejudice is not unique to modern day society, it has been with us for a long time, this has been coupled with the belief that certain racial groups are less intelligent, or backward compared to white European stock, nowhere is this more true than in the criminal justice system.
In 1869 Francis Galton published a book called "Hereditary Genius" this contained a chapter called "The Comparative Worth of Different Races" which considered that black Americans were genetically inferior to white Americans. Galton stated that blacks scored on average 15 IQ points below whites. (Coleman 1987) We can see that within the field of criminal justice, and with Galton 's work considered that black people were bound to be treated differently due to a belief born out of misunderstanding of the nature of culture and individual personality differences, the hereditary argument has never been scientifically proved or disproved.
The 1991 census showed that 5.5% of the population were from an ethnic origin, with 1.6% of these being black from an Afro-Caribbean background. It was reported that a higher amount of the ethnic minorities was of younger people than in the general population, and it can be seen that this alone could be a reason for the proportionately higher level of blacks in the criminal justice system , going on the grounds that in the indigenous population it is the younger generation, those aged 14-25 years that commit the vast majority of crime. Crime by ethnic minorities, and in particular young black males can also be seen to be a social situation, and may be a product of sheer logistics. Many new immigrant families move into what is perceived as a high crime area, particularly inner city areas, where housing may be cheaper and unemployment is higher than at a national level. These areas may receive more police attention than richer areas and therefore the new immigrant
Racial prejudice is not unique to modern day society, it has been with us for a long time, this has been coupled with the belief that certain racial groups are less intelligent, or backward compared to white European stock, nowhere is this more true than in the criminal justice system.
In 1869 Francis Galton published a book called "Hereditary Genius" this contained a chapter called "The Comparative Worth of Different Races" which considered that black Americans were genetically inferior to white Americans. Galton stated that blacks scored on average 15 IQ points below whites. (Coleman 1987) We can see that within the field of criminal justice, and with Galton 's work considered that black people were bound to be treated differently due to a belief born out of misunderstanding of the nature of culture and individual personality differences, the hereditary argument has never been scientifically proved or disproved.
The 1991 census showed that 5.5% of the population were from an ethnic origin, with 1.6% of these being black from an Afro-Caribbean background. It was reported that a higher amount of the ethnic minorities was of younger people than in the general population, and it can be seen that this alone could be a reason for the proportionately higher level of blacks in the criminal justice system , going on the grounds that in the indigenous population it is the younger generation, those aged 14-25 years that commit the vast majority of crime. Crime by ethnic minorities, and in particular young black males can also be seen to be a social situation, and may be a product of sheer logistics. Many new immigrant families move into what is perceived as a high crime area, particularly inner city areas, where housing may be cheaper and unemployment is higher than at a national level. These areas may receive more police attention than richer areas and therefore the new immigrant
References: Coleman, A. (1987) Facts, Fallacies and Frauds in Psychology. London: Unwin Hyman. Galton, F Coleman, A. & Goreman, L.. (1982) Conservatism, Dogmatism, and authoritarianism in British police officers. Sociology, 16, 1-11. Landau, s Reiner, R. (1989) Chief Constables. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Reiner, R Skogan, W. (1990) The Police and Public in England and Wales, A British Crime Survey Report. Home Office Research Study no: 117. London: HMSO. Smith, D Walker, M. (1988) The Court Disposal of Young Males by Race in London 1983. British Journal of Criminology: 28, (4) 441-59. Walker, M. (1989) The Court Disposal and remands of White, Afro-Caribbean and Asian Men(London 1983). British Journal of Criminology. 29. (4), 353-67. Wilbanks, W