Institutional racism is the concept of race and the idea of a racial hierarchy playing a large role in the creation and maintaining of certain institutions. For instance, in the criminal justice system, a system dominated by white men, the power lies in those who wish to keep it. Thus these men are more likely to incarcerate and profit off of those they are afraid of, in this case other races, and try to dominate over them, entrenching the system in racist ideas. Institutional Racism is what leads to the large number of ethnic and racially diverse prisoners, as well as the incredibly fast growing number of female african americans being put to jail.
Racial Hierarchy
The belief that there exists a well known and easily definable order of races that show the most intelligent and best at top, and those deemed inferior at bottom. In the prison system this idea could not be seen clearer and in use more than when looking at the high number of prisoners of color in proportion to the much lower number of white prisoners. Whether through sheer racism, imbedded racist ideas, or cruetly, the idea of a racial hieracrhy is strong in all levels of law enforcement from cop to judge to warden to the cells themselves. …show more content…
There is a large search for this in the justice system, a system rife with corruption and injustice. From the cops, who racially profile follow people of color, to the court system that is often bias and in favor of those with more money and lighter skin, to the prisons where prisoners are often mistreated or given lesser treatment then those with fairer skin. Racial justice is the search and quest to gain these rights and make a fair and equal