Is It Possible for Justice for All
Is it possible for justice for all?
Vakari Hutchinson
Eng. 122
Sabine Meyer
June 24, 2013 American prisons have a disparity of minority inmate population, and one of the reasons this is so is because of the manner the judicial system operates. The investigator chose this topic because there are many African Americans and Hispanics that have been incarcerated for crimes they committed, as well as for crimes they didn’t commit, and because of their cultural background they were given severer sentencing. After performing the research the investigator found that many factors played a big part in the incarceration of minorities that included, ethnicity and gender. Although there is a high crime rate in minority areas, there are more minorities that are placed in jail due to the lack of a fair trial by the judicial system, and convicted of crimes they didn’t commit compared to their counterparts.
The investigator conducted her research by gathering data from online resources, and speaking with ex-cons that have experienced the injustice of either being given an unreasonable sentence, or held responsible for a crime they didn’t commit. The investigator found the website Innocence Project very helpful. It provided the investigator with names of individuals that were accused of offenses that they never committed, and after many years of being detained was acquitted, but for some it was too late [Frontline April 2002]. The investigator also found Ashford’s library to be very helpful. It provided her with many resources that included statistics that would help construct her case.
Racial profiling dates back as early as the 1800’s. In those days instead of placing the minorities in jail, which whites were placed in, and only because most of the African Americans were still slaves; they would send them to work for private industries and do dangerous tasks such as mining and railroad building, or send them to slave owners who would have them working in the field
Vakari Hutchinson
Eng. 122
Sabine Meyer
June 24, 2013 American prisons have a disparity of minority inmate population, and one of the reasons this is so is because of the manner the judicial system operates. The investigator chose this topic because there are many African Americans and Hispanics that have been incarcerated for crimes they committed, as well as for crimes they didn’t commit, and because of their cultural background they were given severer sentencing. After performing the research the investigator found that many factors played a big part in the incarceration of minorities that included, ethnicity and gender. Although there is a high crime rate in minority areas, there are more minorities that are placed in jail due to the lack of a fair trial by the judicial system, and convicted of crimes they didn’t commit compared to their counterparts.
The investigator conducted her research by gathering data from online resources, and speaking with ex-cons that have experienced the injustice of either being given an unreasonable sentence, or held responsible for a crime they didn’t commit. The investigator found the website Innocence Project very helpful. It provided the investigator with names of individuals that were accused of offenses that they never committed, and after many years of being detained was acquitted, but for some it was too late [Frontline April 2002]. The investigator also found Ashford’s library to be very helpful. It provided her with many resources that included statistics that would help construct her case.
Racial profiling dates back as early as the 1800’s. In those days instead of placing the minorities in jail, which whites were placed in, and only because most of the African Americans were still slaves; they would send them to work for private industries and do dangerous tasks such as mining and railroad building, or send them to slave owners who would have them working in the field
References: African journal of Criminology and Justice Studies: AJCJS 4.1 (Jun 2010): 1-31 Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/docview/610007196?accountid=32521 The Color of Justice Anonymous. ABA Journal 78 (Aug 1992): 62 Retrieved from:http://search.proquest.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/docview/194356659?accountid=32521 The Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America. Gesualdi, Louis. Crime, Law and Social Change 28.2 (1997) 183-184. Criminal Justice Miller, L. Law and Society Review 44.3/4 (Sep-Dec 2010): 805-842 Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.proxy-library.ashfrod.edu/docview/874023614?accountid=32521