Racial Disparities In Criminal Justice Essay

To be an equal citizen in a democratic state you must be free from many of the capacities of domination, many of which plague our society today. Racial disparities in the criminal justice system are not in line with a Relational egalitarian way of thinking. At many times racial disparities fuel hierarchy-enhancing legitimizing myths propitiating the inequalities that citizens have comparatively to each other. Relational egalitarians believe that individuals are to be treated equal with respect and value. This theory does not focus on the distribution of material objects and goods but in achieving “a social order in which persons stand in relations of equality” (pg313 Anderson). To do this we must abolish oppression this includes the relationships
I believe that in a democratic and or society that values liberties and freedoms a true indicator of its success is in how it treats the worst among us. In particular the people that society would gladly let burn but because we have inalienable rights and values we must give them that same respect. Also In giving the state the power to essentially put a constraint on the freedom of individuals their must not be a shadow of doubt. Furman v. Georgia (1972) displayed to a certain level that a veil of ignorance is present in our criminal justice system. They may not even no they are acting ignorantly but that does not excuse that behavior. In this case prosecutors were considerably more likely to reach for a death penalty for black suspects and white victims. But the really puzzling finding was that black on black and white on white had significantly less death penalty attempts by prosecutors. McClesky v. Kemp (1986) was overly broad displayed that even the court was aware of racial disparities but it could or was not willing to start a
Some of the hierarchies of interest is ones of, esteem, standing, and command. The most frightening is that of command, where at many cases people can’t even exercise freedom of choice or in manifesting their own destiny. Many parts of the world still have indentured servitude. In Detroit public schools, in 2011 it had a 59% percent four year graduation rate (CBS). The state average is 78% (CBS). IT has been directly observed that there is a strong link to education in respect to mobility, choice, political influence, money. “Powerful evidence of the link include the fact that 46 percent of Americans who grew up in low-income families but failed to earn college degrees stayed in the lowest income quintile, compared to 16 percent for those who earned a college degree” (huffingtonpost). How can we expect citizens to have even the capability to function as an equal citizen, to participate in the democracy, to be educated voters, to work in the principles of fair play when they don’t even have the ability to function? Functioning in the contexts of being in “states of beings and doing that constitutes a person’s wellbeing” (pg 316 anderson). People are entitled to capabilities to empower them to deny these oppressive social relationships their