Us Justice Department & Racial Inequality Essay Example
U.S. Justice Department and Racial Inequality
Racial inequality in the criminal justice system is a belief that through research and statistics is a structural inequality that exists at different levels noted throughout the system stemming from those convicted and those convicting. According to literature published by the Leadership Conference, the nation’s premier civil and human right coalition, “racial inequality is growing, not receding. Our criminal laws, while facially neutral, are enforced in a manner that is massively and pervasively biased. The injustices of the criminal justice system threaten to render irrelevant fifty years of hard-fought civil rights progress” (Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, 2011). In today’s society of crime and punishment, racial profiling plays a big role in the racial inequality amongst Blacks, Hispanics, and White non-Hispanics. In order to appreciate racial inequality in the U.S. Justice system, we must look at how racial profiling plays a role in racial inequality, the criminal prosecution, convictions, prison sentence and time served, as well as the criminal justice structure itself.
Racial profiling can be summarized as targeting a person based on their race, religion, and ethnicity (ACLU: American Civil Rights Union, 2005). Statistics from 2004 retrieved from Prison Policy Initiave, show there is a larger amount of Black incarcerated than Hispanics and White non-Hispanics (Prison Policy Initiave, 2004). One might ask the question “Is this racial inequality?” In order to answer this question, we must also look at the crimes committed as well as demographics involved. According to an article written by Christopher Reinhart, the state with the highest violent crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants was the District of Columbia (Reinhart, 2008). Violent crimes are described as murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault (Reinhart, 2008). The census in 2008 revealed that there were
Racial inequality in the criminal justice system is a belief that through research and statistics is a structural inequality that exists at different levels noted throughout the system stemming from those convicted and those convicting. According to literature published by the Leadership Conference, the nation’s premier civil and human right coalition, “racial inequality is growing, not receding. Our criminal laws, while facially neutral, are enforced in a manner that is massively and pervasively biased. The injustices of the criminal justice system threaten to render irrelevant fifty years of hard-fought civil rights progress” (Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, 2011). In today’s society of crime and punishment, racial profiling plays a big role in the racial inequality amongst Blacks, Hispanics, and White non-Hispanics. In order to appreciate racial inequality in the U.S. Justice system, we must look at how racial profiling plays a role in racial inequality, the criminal prosecution, convictions, prison sentence and time served, as well as the criminal justice structure itself.
Racial profiling can be summarized as targeting a person based on their race, religion, and ethnicity (ACLU: American Civil Rights Union, 2005). Statistics from 2004 retrieved from Prison Policy Initiave, show there is a larger amount of Black incarcerated than Hispanics and White non-Hispanics (Prison Policy Initiave, 2004). One might ask the question “Is this racial inequality?” In order to answer this question, we must also look at the crimes committed as well as demographics involved. According to an article written by Christopher Reinhart, the state with the highest violent crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants was the District of Columbia (Reinhart, 2008). Violent crimes are described as murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault (Reinhart, 2008). The census in 2008 revealed that there were