Racial Divide In Crime Research Paper
Course Project: The Racial Divide in Crime
Kaylyn M. Williams
DeVry University
According to a recent article in the Huffington Post, “One in every three black males can expect to go to prison at some time in their life…” (Huffington Post). This fact in itself is staggering, but when you compare it to the fact that only one in six Latino males and one in 17 white males will be incarcerated it is alarming. It begs the question why? Why are black males so much more likely to end up in prison than those of another minority? This paper aims to answer that question. We will compare criminal incidents, conviction rates, and time served for all three races in order to identify what factors could be leading to this disproportion and we will investigate what variables can be associated with race and how it divides crime in our country. …show more content…
This paper studied a group called The Sentencing Project established in 1986 to explore the concept of a racial divide in crime.
The Sentencing Project “work for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration” (2013, p. 2). They outline that African-American males are six times more likely to be incarcerated than white males and 2.5 times more likely than Hispanic males (The Sentencing Project, 2013, p. 3). In 2011, the US Bureau of Justice pointed out that, “Racial minorities are more likely than white Americans to be arrested; once arrested, they are more likely to be convicted; and once convicted, they are more likely to face stiff sentences” (Table
8).
Writing about and researching this topic is not so important because of the question itself but because of what it could imply. What does a statistic like this indicates about our justice system and cultural inequality in America. We like to believe that we are a land of equal opportunity. We take it for granted that we are a country whose correctional system is “swift” and “just”, but is it really? We know that a prejudice exist, but is it possible that we are more prejudicially against one race? If so, then why?
References
Knafo, S. (2013, October 04). 1 in 3 black males will go to prison in their lifetime report warns. The Huffington Post. Retrived from http://www.huffingtonpost.com
U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2011, 8 tbl.8 (Dec. 2012).
The Sentincing Project. Regarding Racial Disparities in the United States Criminal Justice System. (2013). Report of The Sentencing Project to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. Retrieved from sentencingproject.org
Kaylyn M. Williams
DeVry University
According to a recent article in the Huffington Post, “One in every three black males can expect to go to prison at some time in their life…” (Huffington Post). This fact in itself is staggering, but when you compare it to the fact that only one in six Latino males and one in 17 white males will be incarcerated it is alarming. It begs the question why? Why are black males so much more likely to end up in prison than those of another minority? This paper aims to answer that question. We will compare criminal incidents, conviction rates, and time served for all three races in order to identify what factors could be leading to this disproportion and we will investigate what variables can be associated with race and how it divides crime in our country. …show more content…
This paper studied a group called The Sentencing Project established in 1986 to explore the concept of a racial divide in crime.
The Sentencing Project “work for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration” (2013, p. 2). They outline that African-American males are six times more likely to be incarcerated than white males and 2.5 times more likely than Hispanic males (The Sentencing Project, 2013, p. 3). In 2011, the US Bureau of Justice pointed out that, “Racial minorities are more likely than white Americans to be arrested; once arrested, they are more likely to be convicted; and once convicted, they are more likely to face stiff sentences” (Table
8).
Writing about and researching this topic is not so important because of the question itself but because of what it could imply. What does a statistic like this indicates about our justice system and cultural inequality in America. We like to believe that we are a land of equal opportunity. We take it for granted that we are a country whose correctional system is “swift” and “just”, but is it really? We know that a prejudice exist, but is it possible that we are more prejudicially against one race? If so, then why?
References
Knafo, S. (2013, October 04). 1 in 3 black males will go to prison in their lifetime report warns. The Huffington Post. Retrived from http://www.huffingtonpost.com
U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2011, 8 tbl.8 (Dec. 2012).
The Sentincing Project. Regarding Racial Disparities in the United States Criminal Justice System. (2013). Report of The Sentencing Project to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. Retrieved from sentencingproject.org