Racial Disparity In Criminal Justice Essay

In our society today, minorities do not receive the same treatment as other individuals. This could happen for many different aspects of our society, even in the criminal justice system. We have seen many instances in which minorities where treated differently than individuals of other races, such as Caucasian. In the criminal justice system, an individual’s race may play a part in the court process. For example, a Caucasian person may receive a different plea bargain or sentence than an African American or Hispanic person. It seems that there are many disparities in both charges and sentencing depending on several factors. According to Mustard (2001), minorities are likely to receive longer or harsher sentences. He also found that certain factors, such as race and gender, can have an impact on sentencing and pleas. The study found that males and African Americans are more likely to receive different sentence lengths and plea bargains (Mustard, 2001, p. 312). For example, an African American male who committed a robbery may be less likely to receive a plea bargain involving no prison time. The same individual would likely receive a longer prison sentence than a Caucasian male. (Mustard, 2001, p. 312). The courtroom actors and law enforcement are also allowed to use discretion in situations that could involve plea bargaining.
He found that ethnicity did not have a large impact on sentencing. However, a disparity in sentencing was found among different races. When it comes to leniency, Caucasian people are more likely to receive a lighter or more lenient sentence (Steffensmeier, 2000, p. 725). Depending on the type of charges, race may have an impact on the sentencing (Steffensmeier, 2000, p. 725). The conclusion from this study found that among the three races, Hispanics are more likely to receive harsher sentences. (Steffensmeier, 2000, p.