Inequality in the Justice System
Inequality in the Criminal Justice System
Is there structural inequality in the criminal justice system? When we watch the news or read our newspapers, we can see that most of the criminals portrayed are of African American or Hispanic descent. Being a fan of true crime novels, they even depict more Black male criminals than White males. Are African American males committing more crimes than White males? What factors are involved for Blacks to be more involved in crime? How do African American stereotypes play a role with possible racial profiling from the policing force? Are Blacks treated fairly in the criminal justice system? After much research, I hope to answer these questions and determine if African Americans are the race that is really committing the most crime than Whites, and if racism inside the justice system plays a bigger role than we think. Much progress has and is currently being made over history for the laws concerning the equal treatment, but this civil rights crisis seems like the criminal system does not follow its own laws. There are more African American males arrested and incarcerated than Hispanic or White males. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2010, the Black male imprisonment rate was 3,074 per 1000,000 U.S. Black males in total. They are incarcerated at seven times higher than Whites (The Sentencing Project, 2012). The Sentencing Project website reports that if the current trends continue, one in three African Americans can expect to spend time in jail or prison. Most of the prison population contains Blacks and Hispanics. “The majority of crimes are not committed by minorities, and most minorities are not criminals” (Justice on trial, 2012). Even when arrested with no conviction, Blacks still have the consequences that go along with the process. These include trouble getting jobs, problems with educations, getting housing, and any benefits from the government if they are poor in the first
Is there structural inequality in the criminal justice system? When we watch the news or read our newspapers, we can see that most of the criminals portrayed are of African American or Hispanic descent. Being a fan of true crime novels, they even depict more Black male criminals than White males. Are African American males committing more crimes than White males? What factors are involved for Blacks to be more involved in crime? How do African American stereotypes play a role with possible racial profiling from the policing force? Are Blacks treated fairly in the criminal justice system? After much research, I hope to answer these questions and determine if African Americans are the race that is really committing the most crime than Whites, and if racism inside the justice system plays a bigger role than we think. Much progress has and is currently being made over history for the laws concerning the equal treatment, but this civil rights crisis seems like the criminal system does not follow its own laws. There are more African American males arrested and incarcerated than Hispanic or White males. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2010, the Black male imprisonment rate was 3,074 per 1000,000 U.S. Black males in total. They are incarcerated at seven times higher than Whites (The Sentencing Project, 2012). The Sentencing Project website reports that if the current trends continue, one in three African Americans can expect to spend time in jail or prison. Most of the prison population contains Blacks and Hispanics. “The majority of crimes are not committed by minorities, and most minorities are not criminals” (Justice on trial, 2012). Even when arrested with no conviction, Blacks still have the consequences that go along with the process. These include trouble getting jobs, problems with educations, getting housing, and any benefits from the government if they are poor in the first
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