Disparity And Discrimination In Criminal Justice
Disparity and Discrimination
Cynthia Valentin
11-03-2014
Judith Brodsky
CJS/221
Disparity and discrimination in the criminal justice system causes lack of equality based on the certain individual’s religious beliefs, color of skin and background. We live in a world where discrimination and disparities should no longer exist but unfortunately they do. The people around us are the ones who make the world what it is today therefore seeing someone for the way they look and not looking deeper into ones personality is very immoral and unethical. Stereotyping against individuals because of stories you hear will cause false judging and more conflict. Discrimination and disparities are always visible even within the criminal justice field because each individual in the field has their own attitude and beliefs regardless of what the law states.
There are many forms of discrimination related to criminal justice, such as religion discrimination and race/color discrimination. These forms of discrimination can be direct or indirect. Direct discrimination is where someone is treated less favorably because of who they are. Indirect discrimination …show more content…
is where there are rules or policies that seem to apply to everyone but in fact only apply to certain individuals. Racial and color discrimination is when a certain individual treats another unfavorably because of the color of their skin, hair, eyes or other physical features. Racial discrimination also takes place when treating someone different because of the person which whom they are with or associate with. Harassing someone because of their race is against the law but unfortunately it does happen. Calling other individuals names, saying racist remarks or displaying racist symbols are all forms of racist harassment. Religion discrimination is treating people differently because of what they do or do not believe in, for instance polygamy. Polygamy is having more than one husband or wife at the same time. In the majority of the nation’s country, polygamy is against the law but some still practice it regardless of the law or what anyone thinks.
Disparity in criminal justice refers to inequity of arrests and sentencing for certain groups of people; it nearly always refers to racial and ethnic disparity. Racial disparity has been definitively verified, though it may not always be related to intentional discrimination. Legitimate legal factors involved in racial disparity include severity of the offense and previous criminal record (Moore, 2014). For instance a poor man sentenced harsher than a middle-class or rich man, a male sentenced harsher than a female, or an African-American or Hispanic male sentenced harsher than a white male. Racial disparities play a huge role in the criminal justice field. Studies show that African Americans make up 12% of the US population, 40% of all arrests, 50% of prison population and 50% of inmates in death row. Even though whites and blacks use drugs at almost the same rate, blacks are four times more likely to be arrested on drug related charges (Harcourt, 2014).
The differences between disparities and discrimination is a very important factor within the criminal justice field.
Noting the differences will clear up the confusion between the two. Disparity is a natural imbalance or inequality. Discrimination is the result of man-made imbalance or inequality. Many say that disparity comes from discrimination but that’s not always the case. For example many studies have stated that minorities commit more crimes than whites therefore they get punished for it, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the system is discriminating against them. Discrimination on the other hand is when you get punished for the way you look or what you believe in, therefore discriminating against a certain individual can in fact cause a disparity but it may not always be the only reason for the
disparity. Disparity and discrimination have always been a serious issue with the criminal justice field and may never resolve. Never judge a book by its cover, meaning never stereotype a person because of the way they look or act. Discrimination can lead to very serious issues such as conflict, hate or in the worst case scenario a much more serious crime such as murder. Many people don’t know the seriousness of discriminating against others and shouldn’t follow what they hear but lead others to do what’s right.
References
Moore, S. (2014). ehow. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/facts_4855867_definition-disparity-criminal-justice.html
Harcourt, H. (2014). Cliff Notes. Retrieved from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/more-subjects/criminal-justice/criminal-justice-in-the-us/racial-disparities
Cynthia Valentin
11-03-2014
Judith Brodsky
CJS/221
Disparity and discrimination in the criminal justice system causes lack of equality based on the certain individual’s religious beliefs, color of skin and background. We live in a world where discrimination and disparities should no longer exist but unfortunately they do. The people around us are the ones who make the world what it is today therefore seeing someone for the way they look and not looking deeper into ones personality is very immoral and unethical. Stereotyping against individuals because of stories you hear will cause false judging and more conflict. Discrimination and disparities are always visible even within the criminal justice field because each individual in the field has their own attitude and beliefs regardless of what the law states.
There are many forms of discrimination related to criminal justice, such as religion discrimination and race/color discrimination. These forms of discrimination can be direct or indirect. Direct discrimination is where someone is treated less favorably because of who they are. Indirect discrimination …show more content…
is where there are rules or policies that seem to apply to everyone but in fact only apply to certain individuals. Racial and color discrimination is when a certain individual treats another unfavorably because of the color of their skin, hair, eyes or other physical features. Racial discrimination also takes place when treating someone different because of the person which whom they are with or associate with. Harassing someone because of their race is against the law but unfortunately it does happen. Calling other individuals names, saying racist remarks or displaying racist symbols are all forms of racist harassment. Religion discrimination is treating people differently because of what they do or do not believe in, for instance polygamy. Polygamy is having more than one husband or wife at the same time. In the majority of the nation’s country, polygamy is against the law but some still practice it regardless of the law or what anyone thinks.
Disparity in criminal justice refers to inequity of arrests and sentencing for certain groups of people; it nearly always refers to racial and ethnic disparity. Racial disparity has been definitively verified, though it may not always be related to intentional discrimination. Legitimate legal factors involved in racial disparity include severity of the offense and previous criminal record (Moore, 2014). For instance a poor man sentenced harsher than a middle-class or rich man, a male sentenced harsher than a female, or an African-American or Hispanic male sentenced harsher than a white male. Racial disparities play a huge role in the criminal justice field. Studies show that African Americans make up 12% of the US population, 40% of all arrests, 50% of prison population and 50% of inmates in death row. Even though whites and blacks use drugs at almost the same rate, blacks are four times more likely to be arrested on drug related charges (Harcourt, 2014).
The differences between disparities and discrimination is a very important factor within the criminal justice field.
Noting the differences will clear up the confusion between the two. Disparity is a natural imbalance or inequality. Discrimination is the result of man-made imbalance or inequality. Many say that disparity comes from discrimination but that’s not always the case. For example many studies have stated that minorities commit more crimes than whites therefore they get punished for it, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the system is discriminating against them. Discrimination on the other hand is when you get punished for the way you look or what you believe in, therefore discriminating against a certain individual can in fact cause a disparity but it may not always be the only reason for the
disparity. Disparity and discrimination have always been a serious issue with the criminal justice field and may never resolve. Never judge a book by its cover, meaning never stereotype a person because of the way they look or act. Discrimination can lead to very serious issues such as conflict, hate or in the worst case scenario a much more serious crime such as murder. Many people don’t know the seriousness of discriminating against others and shouldn’t follow what they hear but lead others to do what’s right.
References
Moore, S. (2014). ehow. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/facts_4855867_definition-disparity-criminal-justice.html
Harcourt, H. (2014). Cliff Notes. Retrieved from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/more-subjects/criminal-justice/criminal-justice-in-the-us/racial-disparities