Ethical Issues In The Criminal Justice System
The grounds of our country were based on equality and fairness among all citizens of the United States, regardless of age, race or religion. But what happened to that? As time passed by we strayed further and further away from the laws and foundations of our country in which were deeply instilled within our constitution. During this day in age it is apparent that all groups that become involved with the criminal justice system are not treated equally. This is evident all over the country and is no secret to many of us citizens. This treatment completely flies under the radar and is almost accepted by us all because this has become the norm. The numbers don't lie in the differential rates of arrest and incarceration among minority groups and
disparity in sentencing practices for minority groups. It is an outrage how skewed and lopsided these numbers are in comparison to non-minorities. These numbers don't lie and are proof that this problem certainly exists in our country. These numbers also represent the abuse of racial profiling as a a scientific tool and that all minority groups are most affected by this injustice. Research indicates that “African Americans make up 13% of the general US population, yet they constitute 28% of all arrests, 40% of all inmates held in prisons and jails, and 42% of the population on death row. In contrast, Whites make up 67% of the total US population and 70% of all arrests, yet only 40% of all inmates held in state prisons or local jails and 56% of the population on death row.” ( Hartney, 6) The numbers are certainly accurate and available to the public but why is everyone okay with this? This is a major problem in our country and has been for over some time. We need to exploit these statistics and make them very well known so that we can finally put an end to this once and for all. If you are a citizen of the United States, regardless of ethnicity, race or gender than you should be treated like it. Being a citizen of this country should be powerful enough to maintain fairness across the criminal justice system. These problems are going to continue to get worse and worse if we do not put an end to this unfair treatment. This has been going on for way to long and will eventually begin to cripple our nation.
disparity in sentencing practices for minority groups. It is an outrage how skewed and lopsided these numbers are in comparison to non-minorities. These numbers don't lie and are proof that this problem certainly exists in our country. These numbers also represent the abuse of racial profiling as a a scientific tool and that all minority groups are most affected by this injustice. Research indicates that “African Americans make up 13% of the general US population, yet they constitute 28% of all arrests, 40% of all inmates held in prisons and jails, and 42% of the population on death row. In contrast, Whites make up 67% of the total US population and 70% of all arrests, yet only 40% of all inmates held in state prisons or local jails and 56% of the population on death row.” ( Hartney, 6) The numbers are certainly accurate and available to the public but why is everyone okay with this? This is a major problem in our country and has been for over some time. We need to exploit these statistics and make them very well known so that we can finally put an end to this once and for all. If you are a citizen of the United States, regardless of ethnicity, race or gender than you should be treated like it. Being a citizen of this country should be powerful enough to maintain fairness across the criminal justice system. These problems are going to continue to get worse and worse if we do not put an end to this unfair treatment. This has been going on for way to long and will eventually begin to cripple our nation.