Essay On Racial Disparity In The Criminal Justice System
Racial Disparity In The Criminal Justice System My topic is racial disparity within the criminal justice system. According to “The Sentencing Project” Racial disparity in the criminal justice system exists when the proportion of a racial or ethnic group within the control of the system is greater than the proportion of such groups in the general population .The reason I chose this topic is because I think it is such a undermined problem across the country today. The term racial disparity refers to a difference that might or might not behave anything to do with discrimination. Criminal justice experts tell the difference between legal and extralegal factors to explain racial disparities in criminal justice. Racial disparities is a discrimination,
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and it taints the entire criminal justice system.
In 1954, the year of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, about 100,000 blacks were incarcerated in prison according to ”The Sentencing Project”. There has been a half a century filled with opportunity for many people for whom it may have not be given to before, and now large numbers of African Americans have been gaining leadership positions in society as stated in “What Its Like To Be Black In The Criminal Justice System”. Although there has been progress throughout the years within the criminal justice system, the number of African American incarcerated has went from a 100,000 to roughly 900,000 over the years . Although slavery and segregation has been long gone, systematic racism and racial disparities are very much alive and has been playing a huge role in our criminal justice system. An Orlando, Florida Sentinel analysis of 1000 videos of Florida traffic stops. Results show that on a road where only 5% African Americans and Hispanics drive, seventy percent of those stopped and eight percent of those searched were either African American or Hispanic according to “Racial Profiling”. Yet, officers were no more likely to find contraband on minority drivers than white drivers. On the other hand “Racial Disparity In U.S Drug Arrest” states that African Americans, Hispanics and Whites are all roughly pulled over at the same rate. The problem is that African Americans & Hispanics are a lot more likely to be handcuffed, searched or arrested compared to a white man. In fact for every white person pulled over in a simple traffic stop ten African Americans and eleven Hispanics have already been searched.
The series of drug policies that became known as the War on Drugs has had a deep impact on the number of people who are incarcerated for a drug charges according to “The Sentencing Project”. The war on drugs has been no more than a war on communities of color. The “ NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet” States 14 million white people report using illicit drugs while only 2.6 million African Americans report using drugs. There are nearly five times more white people using drugs than African Americans, yet African Americans are convicted for drug offenses at 10 times the rates of whites. African Americans on average serve as much as time in prison for drugs as a white man would serve for a violent crime. In 2002 African Americans counted for more than 80 % of the people sentenced under the federal drug laws and served more time in prison for drugs compared to white man in the same position. What makes the matter all of the worst is ⅔ of drug users are white or hispanic.
The number of people incarcerated has quadrupled in the last 35 years. According to the “NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet” in the U.S there is a total of 2.3 million prisoner 1 million of which are African American. In 2008, the prison population was over 1,610,446 prisoners. Of these prisoners, twenty percent were Hispanic compared to 16.3 % of the U.S. population that is Hispanic, thirty-four percent were white compared to 63.7% of the amount of white people in the United States White, and thirty-eight percent were black (compared to 12.6% of the U.S. population that is black) as shown on the”NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet” . If African Americans and Hispanics were arrested at the same rates as whites, The prison population would decrease nearly 50% cutting the incarceration rate in half (1.1 Million). One out of every 6 black man will go to prison once out of their lifetime while only 1 out of 19 white man will be incarcerated throughout their lifetime.
The war on drugs has led to an dramatic increase of people being incarcerated for drug offenses. Although most of the people are not big time drug dealers or have any prior convictions. Now prisoners arrested on drug charges takes up nearly 50% of the nation’s prison population according to the “Sentencing Project” . There has been more and more laws being put into place denying people with felony convictions the access to fair employment, welfare benefits, public housing and the eligibility to get student loans for a higher education. Denying such things places barriers for social and economic improvement. Here in the United States mostly every states deny the voting rights of felons. There is estimated to be 5.85 million Americans denied their right to vote because of laws prohibiting people with felony convictions there right to vote. According to the “Sentencing project” 7.7% 1.6 Million, of African americans cannot vote due to felony convictions.
Racial profiling is a type of racial disparity that spread like a disease through the criminal justice system after the war on drugs and 9/11. Racial profiling rests on the incorrect assumptions that one person race or ethnicity is likely to be involved in misconduct more than any other person or race according to “Racial Profiling Is Discriminatory “. There has been evidence that the use of racial profiling is irrational. The strongest evidence is on the drug law enforcement. A lot of the racial profiling that occurs on the nation’s highway is for drug enforcement purposes. United States former president George Bush administered for racial profiling to be banned in the United States. On February 27, 2002 , address to a joint session of congress president Bush stated that “racial Profiling is wrong and we will end it in America”.
There are many different type of disparities throughout the criminal justice system.
According to “ What It’s Like To Be Black In The Criminal Justice System” a 2014 study showed that African Americans are more likely to be in jail while they await trial even after looking at both the seriousness of the charge and prior convictions. Others suggest that this disparity is due to the fact that a lot of African Americans cannot afford to bail out . One turning point in the criminal justice process, one that can mean all of the difference when it comes to you being locked up or free .Although the choice of where your bail would be set is up to the courts, prosecutors play a key role in deciding on whether a defendant should be set free on bail or or wait in jail until their or release.The temporary time you’re being detained interferes personal life and it more difficult for the defendant to prepare a proper defense according to “What It's Like To Be Black In The Criminal Justice System. Studies in New York found that African Americans are thirteen percent more likely to receive plea deals involving prison time regardless the seriousness of the charge. A separate research in Rhode Island found that African Americans were given longer sentences than comparable
whites.
During the late 80’s early 90’s , a white person a felony and no prior criminal record stood a thirty-three percent chance of having the charge knocked down to a misdemeanor offense, compared to twenty-five percent for black or Hispanic in a similar position as stated in “Justice On Trial”. Between 1981 and 1990, fifty percent of all non colored people who were arrested for burglary and had one previous charge had at least one of their charges dismissed, as compared to only thirty-three percent of African Americans and Hispanics in a similar predicament. Blacks charged with a single offense received harsher punishments in nineteen percent of the cases, As for similarly situated whites only received sentencing enhancements in about only fifteen percent of the cases. United States Of America Today reported August 2014 that a non colored police officer was responsible for the killing of an African American citizen at least two times per week over a seven year period . And the amount is likely to rise much more states “Fighting Racism In The USA”. Officers who are accused in these killings are rarely indicted, much less convicted, for murder or even excessive force. Kevin Alexander Gray who is the editor of a book called “Killing Trayvons” An stated that “problems like these in the United States dates back to slavery, and while there have been some civil rights gains for blacks the institutional and systemic racism that afflicts the country still needs to be dismantled”. After the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the president of the United States has pledged $75 million dollars for the purchase of 50,000 body cameras .
Racial inequality is a disturbing and complicated issue in the U.S. criminal justice system. There has been a number of Laws and reforms put into place to lower down the amount of racial disparity throughout the criminal justice system. There has been a growing interest in the future for body cameras worn by cops to lower the excessive use of force According to “The Sentencing Project”.After criticism and lawsuits about racial disparities in its drug law enforcement, some places in and around Seattle have put in play a pre-booking diversion strategy better known as the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program.This program allows cops the option of sending people arrested on drug related and prostitution charges to social services rather than sending them deeper into the court system.
The country has been working on these issues in past years. New York and other states have lowered their prison populations and the juvenile justice system has lowered down youth confinement by over forty percent since 2001 according to “The Sentencing Project”. The racial gap in incarceration rates has started to narrow and police departments in a lot of cities across the nation are increasingly becoming more diverse. Under President Obama, national policymakers have done more to address racial problems in criminal processing than at any other point in history according to “Racial Profiling Is Discriminatory”. It would be mistaken to argue national elected officials have not previously tried to do something about the problems we face . Democrats and Republicans alike have historically adopted policies reacting to contemporary visions of racial inequality. With clear problems of minority overrepresentation and mass public demonstrations on behalf of racial justice across the country, elected officials of various backgrounds will continue to formulate new criminal justice reforms.
and it taints the entire criminal justice system.
In 1954, the year of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, about 100,000 blacks were incarcerated in prison according to ”The Sentencing Project”. There has been a half a century filled with opportunity for many people for whom it may have not be given to before, and now large numbers of African Americans have been gaining leadership positions in society as stated in “What Its Like To Be Black In The Criminal Justice System”. Although there has been progress throughout the years within the criminal justice system, the number of African American incarcerated has went from a 100,000 to roughly 900,000 over the years . Although slavery and segregation has been long gone, systematic racism and racial disparities are very much alive and has been playing a huge role in our criminal justice system. An Orlando, Florida Sentinel analysis of 1000 videos of Florida traffic stops. Results show that on a road where only 5% African Americans and Hispanics drive, seventy percent of those stopped and eight percent of those searched were either African American or Hispanic according to “Racial Profiling”. Yet, officers were no more likely to find contraband on minority drivers than white drivers. On the other hand “Racial Disparity In U.S Drug Arrest” states that African Americans, Hispanics and Whites are all roughly pulled over at the same rate. The problem is that African Americans & Hispanics are a lot more likely to be handcuffed, searched or arrested compared to a white man. In fact for every white person pulled over in a simple traffic stop ten African Americans and eleven Hispanics have already been searched.
The series of drug policies that became known as the War on Drugs has had a deep impact on the number of people who are incarcerated for a drug charges according to “The Sentencing Project”. The war on drugs has been no more than a war on communities of color. The “ NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet” States 14 million white people report using illicit drugs while only 2.6 million African Americans report using drugs. There are nearly five times more white people using drugs than African Americans, yet African Americans are convicted for drug offenses at 10 times the rates of whites. African Americans on average serve as much as time in prison for drugs as a white man would serve for a violent crime. In 2002 African Americans counted for more than 80 % of the people sentenced under the federal drug laws and served more time in prison for drugs compared to white man in the same position. What makes the matter all of the worst is ⅔ of drug users are white or hispanic.
The number of people incarcerated has quadrupled in the last 35 years. According to the “NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet” in the U.S there is a total of 2.3 million prisoner 1 million of which are African American. In 2008, the prison population was over 1,610,446 prisoners. Of these prisoners, twenty percent were Hispanic compared to 16.3 % of the U.S. population that is Hispanic, thirty-four percent were white compared to 63.7% of the amount of white people in the United States White, and thirty-eight percent were black (compared to 12.6% of the U.S. population that is black) as shown on the”NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet” . If African Americans and Hispanics were arrested at the same rates as whites, The prison population would decrease nearly 50% cutting the incarceration rate in half (1.1 Million). One out of every 6 black man will go to prison once out of their lifetime while only 1 out of 19 white man will be incarcerated throughout their lifetime.
The war on drugs has led to an dramatic increase of people being incarcerated for drug offenses. Although most of the people are not big time drug dealers or have any prior convictions. Now prisoners arrested on drug charges takes up nearly 50% of the nation’s prison population according to the “Sentencing Project” . There has been more and more laws being put into place denying people with felony convictions the access to fair employment, welfare benefits, public housing and the eligibility to get student loans for a higher education. Denying such things places barriers for social and economic improvement. Here in the United States mostly every states deny the voting rights of felons. There is estimated to be 5.85 million Americans denied their right to vote because of laws prohibiting people with felony convictions there right to vote. According to the “Sentencing project” 7.7% 1.6 Million, of African americans cannot vote due to felony convictions.
Racial profiling is a type of racial disparity that spread like a disease through the criminal justice system after the war on drugs and 9/11. Racial profiling rests on the incorrect assumptions that one person race or ethnicity is likely to be involved in misconduct more than any other person or race according to “Racial Profiling Is Discriminatory “. There has been evidence that the use of racial profiling is irrational. The strongest evidence is on the drug law enforcement. A lot of the racial profiling that occurs on the nation’s highway is for drug enforcement purposes. United States former president George Bush administered for racial profiling to be banned in the United States. On February 27, 2002 , address to a joint session of congress president Bush stated that “racial Profiling is wrong and we will end it in America”.
There are many different type of disparities throughout the criminal justice system.
According to “ What It’s Like To Be Black In The Criminal Justice System” a 2014 study showed that African Americans are more likely to be in jail while they await trial even after looking at both the seriousness of the charge and prior convictions. Others suggest that this disparity is due to the fact that a lot of African Americans cannot afford to bail out . One turning point in the criminal justice process, one that can mean all of the difference when it comes to you being locked up or free .Although the choice of where your bail would be set is up to the courts, prosecutors play a key role in deciding on whether a defendant should be set free on bail or or wait in jail until their or release.The temporary time you’re being detained interferes personal life and it more difficult for the defendant to prepare a proper defense according to “What It's Like To Be Black In The Criminal Justice System. Studies in New York found that African Americans are thirteen percent more likely to receive plea deals involving prison time regardless the seriousness of the charge. A separate research in Rhode Island found that African Americans were given longer sentences than comparable
whites.
During the late 80’s early 90’s , a white person a felony and no prior criminal record stood a thirty-three percent chance of having the charge knocked down to a misdemeanor offense, compared to twenty-five percent for black or Hispanic in a similar position as stated in “Justice On Trial”. Between 1981 and 1990, fifty percent of all non colored people who were arrested for burglary and had one previous charge had at least one of their charges dismissed, as compared to only thirty-three percent of African Americans and Hispanics in a similar predicament. Blacks charged with a single offense received harsher punishments in nineteen percent of the cases, As for similarly situated whites only received sentencing enhancements in about only fifteen percent of the cases. United States Of America Today reported August 2014 that a non colored police officer was responsible for the killing of an African American citizen at least two times per week over a seven year period . And the amount is likely to rise much more states “Fighting Racism In The USA”. Officers who are accused in these killings are rarely indicted, much less convicted, for murder or even excessive force. Kevin Alexander Gray who is the editor of a book called “Killing Trayvons” An stated that “problems like these in the United States dates back to slavery, and while there have been some civil rights gains for blacks the institutional and systemic racism that afflicts the country still needs to be dismantled”. After the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the president of the United States has pledged $75 million dollars for the purchase of 50,000 body cameras .
Racial inequality is a disturbing and complicated issue in the U.S. criminal justice system. There has been a number of Laws and reforms put into place to lower down the amount of racial disparity throughout the criminal justice system. There has been a growing interest in the future for body cameras worn by cops to lower the excessive use of force According to “The Sentencing Project”.After criticism and lawsuits about racial disparities in its drug law enforcement, some places in and around Seattle have put in play a pre-booking diversion strategy better known as the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program.This program allows cops the option of sending people arrested on drug related and prostitution charges to social services rather than sending them deeper into the court system.
The country has been working on these issues in past years. New York and other states have lowered their prison populations and the juvenile justice system has lowered down youth confinement by over forty percent since 2001 according to “The Sentencing Project”. The racial gap in incarceration rates has started to narrow and police departments in a lot of cities across the nation are increasingly becoming more diverse. Under President Obama, national policymakers have done more to address racial problems in criminal processing than at any other point in history according to “Racial Profiling Is Discriminatory”. It would be mistaken to argue national elected officials have not previously tried to do something about the problems we face . Democrats and Republicans alike have historically adopted policies reacting to contemporary visions of racial inequality. With clear problems of minority overrepresentation and mass public demonstrations on behalf of racial justice across the country, elected officials of various backgrounds will continue to formulate new criminal justice reforms.